Of Birds and Jokers
by Atatami
Summary: Robin has possibly made the biggest mistake of his life. The Joker has made sure that he has paid dearly for it with some 'Bonding Time'. But when Robin realizes not is all what it seems, he has to try and survive on the streets with a new identity, no family, and no friends. Robin is a long ways from home, and he doesn't know if he'll make it back in one piece. (HtLaB Sequel)
1. Prologue

_The shadow moved fast, jumping and flying between skyscrapers in its own graceful way. The bustling city below whirled past as the apparition made its way to the more grim parts of the unforgiving land he claimed as his own._

 _With his cape fluttering behind him in the crisp autumn breeze, Batman stopped atop a building, perched precariously on a Victorian gargoyle._

 _He scanned the street below for any danger, before whipping out his grappling gun and shooting it off to the next building. A clink was heard, and after an experimental tug Batman was once again sailing through Gotham._

 _The man had chosen to forgo the use of the Bat-mobile after twenty minutes of mindless driving. He could not find any crime in that sector of Gotham anyway, and the Bat could always use some more conditioning. And he sure wasn't going to keep patrolling in the car, especially since he had no one to keep him company._

 _That thought sent little shots of guilt through his gut. He hadn't let Robin patrol with him for almost a month now, and he knew it was killing the boy in the inside._

 _Granted, he was still allowed to go on missions with his Team, but what he was allowed to do was, again, very limited. Since his teammates knew the impending danger of the bounty on the little birds head, they were under strict orders to never let him in the line of fire, or out of their sight._

 _Batman sighed lightly as the Bat signal suddenly lit up the sky, his mind still roaming on his little bird, hopefully tucked into bed at home._

 _Batman immidietly stiffened at this thought. Since when did Robin follow orders so well? In the field, he continuisly disobeyed him if it wasn't a life-or-death situation. And the man knew his ward was getting antsy, he was able to see it in his very demeanour._

 _With a growing sense of unease Batman pressed a finger to his comm. and waiting until the static stopped before launching into the direction of the Bat signal._

 _"What may be the problem, Master Bruce?" his loyal Butler and father figure, Alfred, asked when the slight interference cleared. Batman made a mental note to try and fix that when he had the time._

 _"Is Richard still in the house?" he gruffly asked, watching as the distance to the GCPD decreased with every shot from his grappling gun._

 _Batman could practically see the eyebrow that was raised. "May I ask why you would want to know?"_

 _"As far as I am aware, he had been following my order for almost a month." was the only reply the elder Englishman got, but he understood perfectly what he meant, and couldn't help but inwardly chuckle. A small smile graced his lips as he replied._

 _"I agree that it is quite usual, but to answer your question, yes, he is still in the Manor."_

 _"Are you sure?" Batman urged, the slightly uneasy feeling in his stomach still not going away._

 _Alfred sighed, but decided to indulge the man's paranoia. "Yes, I checked up on him just twenty minutes ago, as I had the same feeling you seem to have right now."_

 _Batman gave a slight sigh of relief, and against his better judgement, ignored the feeling for the moment. The bat signal now loomed almost directly overhead, and the man could see the small shape of Commisioner Gordon, holding what looked like several folders in his hand._

 _"Alright, thank you." he said simply to the Butler before starting the final leg of his treck towards the Commisioner._

 _"It is no problem, Master Bruce. But, do remember that Master Dick has arranged to go to the Mountain early, so please do not be too alarmed when you do not see him for breakfast. I will also be out shopping before the normal crowd attacks the stores."_

 _Batman gave a huff of acknowledgement, and promptly turned off his communicator._

 _He approached the aging man from the shadows, and mentally prepared himself for whatever horrors lay in those folders that Batman needed to solve._

OoOoOoO

Everything seemed to simply be a blur. Everything he could see was a blob, and his mind couldn't focus on anything except the pain.

The pain was everywhere. In his arms, chest, head, legs; every part of his body seemed t

o have some sort of scratch or bruise. It didn't help that the cold, cement floor he was confined to seemed to be seeping into his wounds, stealing at the teen's body heat.

Robin shivered, and tried desperately to curl into himself to try and retain some warmth. But all that resulted was needles digging into his skin, and a soft whimper escaping his lips as he reverted back to lying on his right side.

The Joker's maniacal laughter still rang around his head, even though it had been a while since he had actually seen the madman. After their little 'Bonding Time' they had spent together, the green haired man simply walked away with a chuckle, leaving the bird to wallow in his own blood and misery.

Robin remembered passing out at one point, and therefore had no idea how much time had actually passed. All he knew was that when he once again gained consciousness, he couldn't move at all unless he wanted to increase the burning pain.

He hoped against hope that someone knew he was missing by now. If not, he knew that he was going to perish by the clowns hand.

It was with a growing sense of grief that the ebony realized there was a very real chance of him not being able to come back room this. He could die here, and unless The Joker wanted to boast about his victory over Batman (which, in all honesty, pretty likely), no one would ever know what happened to him besides his murderer.

He would never get to taste Alfred's amazing cooking, or get one of those rare Bruce hugs, ever again. Wally and Roy would be down one best friend and brother, and the Team would be without a hacker.

But, maybe it was just as well. In the last couple weeks, it seemed as though Robin was useless anyway. It might even be a burden off of their souls to be ride or the useless partner and teammate.

Robin immidietly berated himself. Why was he thinking like this? He knew, deep down, that this may very well be where he dies, and he could except that. It wasn't the lamest way to go, after all. But the ebony also knew that the people he cares about care about him, too, and wouldn't stop searching for him until they find dead body.

Or, hopefully, just a very damaged living one.

Really, it could end a lot worse. He could have been killed in a kidnapping as Dick Grayson, or he could have simply choked on his food.

At least getting murdered by a homicidal, crazy death clown wasn't boring. But it would be better if The Joker didn't torture him before hand, and just made it a faster death, as bleeding out on a concrete floor wasn't very exciting.

Maybe an explosion would be next, and then The Joker would have Batman dig his body out of the rubble, hoping that his little bird survived, only to come up with a dead body that he cradled in his arms.

Sometimes, Robin wonders how exactly he can be considered a hero with mental images such as that.

The ebony shivered once again, and they continued until his teeth chattered. He weakly tried to pick up the scarce scraps of what used to be his red T-shirt, but eventually gave up and accepted that he would just sit there a freeze.

He had no idea where he was exactly, but he knew it wasn't in Gotham. He knew all the buildings there, and none of them matched this old and withering cathedral type of architecture. If he had to guess he would say that he might be in Central City or even Keystone, but he honestly couldn't trust his own judgement with an almost certain concussion.

After the Joker was done having his fun he didn't bother to move Robin out of that large, domed room either, and the ebony was almost grateful for that. He didn't know if he could have handled being manhandled into a different room with all his injuries.

Judging by the cold atmosphere, and taking a guess that this building wasn't at all insulated, he was somewhere that was either experiencing winter, just coming out of it, or the snowy season was right around the corner. That didn't help his situation much, though, as it sucked away his much needed body heat.

The minutes seemed to tick by in hours, with Robin in tense waiting as he waited for his torturer to come back. Every breath he took shook his lungs, and he hated the wet sound that came out. He knew that he had broken ribs and probably a punctured lung, but he couldn't help but wince every time the sound came.

There was a small vibration to the floor, and Robin immidietly tensed.

He knew it wasn't The Joker. The bird was lying on concrete floor, and in order for the vibrations to be felt something big would have had to made an impact. Robin briefly had a hopeful flutter at the thought that maybe Superman had come, but dismissed that idea quickly.

If Batman hadn't found him yet, than how could Superman? He may be a pretty good reporter, but he wasn't that good at getting needed information.

Whatever it was, it only made one impact, and all was once again silent. Well, besides the birds labored breathing and occasional moans of pain.

Robin started to relax again, or as much as he could, and his eyelids started to droop shut. That's when he started to hear footsteps. His heart fluttered again for a moment, in hope of a rescue, but it then was replaced by fear and dread.

What if that really was The Joker? Was the madman going to put him out if his misery, or was he going to prolong his almost certain death? His brain almost shut down as he heard the footsteps get increasingly closer to where he was sprawled on his side.

The sounds were coming from behind him, and he desperately wanted to flip around so he wasn't completely blind, and could at least see an attack coming.

Then his training picked up, and he started straining his ears as much as he could in the direction of the sound. His eyes slightly widening, he could now distinguish two different sets of footsteps.

One was large and uncalculated, with long pauses between each step. They were loud, obviously the person not caring for stealth, and almost drowned out the other pair.

The second was small and quiet, as if the person wished to stay as quiet as possible. They were significantly lighter than whoever they were walking with, and if Robin had to guess, probably female.

He had a brief panic attack at the thought of The Joker bringing in Harley to join in on the 'fun', but it quickly went away. Robin knew that The Joker was more on the lean side, and wouldn't be able to made that big of a sound simply by walking.

That was when hope for a rescue once again resurfaced, and Robin waited as patiently as he could for the people to come into the room. As their footsteps became more pronounced, the ebony was able to make out hushed voices. He so desperately wanted to scream out, to be heard, rescued, but he still had no idea who these people might be.

His heart stopped at soon as he was able to distinguish the voices.

"I'm telling you, I heard something weird in here, and the people living around here have also said they have been hearing weird sounds." Billy Batson, A.K.A Captain Marvel.

"I believe you, but we do not know if it is a threat, and must be cautious." Diana Prince, A. K.A Wonder Woman.

His breath faltered as he realized the League was here, maybe not because they knew about him, but they were here.

Somehow, though, Robin couldn't find the strength to call out to them, and simply counted every wheeze as he heard them coming closer, their conversation continuing. His hope for rescue increasing with every step they took towards the room he was stranded in.

"Have the people described these 'sounds' that they have been hearing?" Diana asked softly, obviously trying not to be irritated. She must have been pulled along because no one else wanted to go with Captain Marvel.

"They say they hear this buzzing sound, then they said they heard some weird laughter and soon some people said they could hear screams." Billy seemed almost giddy about it, like it was something that deserved all of the world's attention.

Wonder Woman apparently didn't think so, and neither did the League apparently, as Robin could tell Diana was getting somewhat irritated.

"Let's just take a sweep of this room and see if anything is unusual, and if not we are going back to the Watchtower." she bit out as politely as she could, and Robin heard the door a couple yards behind him open with a very loud creek.

"Okay! Sounds like a pl-" Billy's excited tone turned to a horrified gasp, followed by Wonder Woman's, and to Robins relief the two heros were running in his direction.

He could blearily see the two imposing figures hovering above him, their shadows enveloping him in further darkness. But just knowing that they were there, he was going to be safe soon, was enough for him.

"Oh, Hera..." Diana trailed, and behind his mask Robin saw the woman fall on knees by his head. Her slender fingers came to rest on his neck, no doubt checking for a pulse, but the slight touch made Robin suck in a quick breath of air at the pain. Wonder Woman quickly snatched back her fingers and instead wove her hand beneath his head, making him moan in pain.

"H-he's ali-alive, right?" Billy asked quietly, not used to seeing this much blood and injury. And on a child no less.

"Shush, child. We will not harm you." Diana stated, completely ignoring Captain Marvels question. Robin, however, was confused.

Why would she call him child? She knew who he was inside and outside of the mask since he was nine. And of course he knew that they wouldn't hurt him, he worked along side them at some points.

But the only way to convey his confusion was a muffled grunt and pained gasp as the woman tried her best to lift him up to alleviate some pain. It failed miserably however, and Robin could see spots dot his vision as he gave another groan.

"It is alright, you are safe now, little one. Whoever did this to you will not be able to do it again, I promise." Wonder Woman whispered when she carefully adjusted the teen in her grip as she slowly lifted off of the ground. Billy was slow to follow, but soon fell in line beside the two ebony's, all the while his gaze never broke from the body his teammate held.

But Robins body and mind couldn't take anymore. He knew that the people he was with were safe, and he was out of The Joker's hands.

As he saw Captain Marvel hover up closer, a black void over can his vision and he was left to the darkness.

 **Well? Whatcha think? Is it okay? Hope all of you like it, and please comment your thoughts below! I would love to hear some feedback now that I have finally got this up and running!**

 **~A very excited Atatami**


	2. Chapter 1

Robin always thought waking up after being injured was somewhat surreal.

On one hand, he's relieved that whatever happened wasn't fatal. Granted, most of the time he can't even remember the exact events that occurred before he got hurt. All that matters in those few short minutes after waking up is that he's not dead, and it feels as though all of his limbs are still attached.

On the other hand, there's an amount of pain that just can't be ignored for very long. Usually it isn't very severe, as to be in Robin's line of work you had to be extremely cautious and skilled. But accidents happen. Sometimes he could wake up and be in an amount of pain that makes him wish he didn't have to wake up at all.

This hadn't happened in over three years, though.

More often than not he simply wakes up with bruises and a couple broken bones. And either Alfred or Bruce are right there beside him, immidietly letting him know the extent of his injuries and when he can go back out in the field. Sadly, this had become an almost monthly routine.

This time, though, everything was different.

Robin feels himself getting pulled out of the darkness, and as soon as he gets enough sense to jumble out his muddled thoughts, he knows something isn't right. It's way too bright, even behind his closed eyelids.

His first thought is that maybe instead of being brought to the Batcave, like usual, his injuries were more severe, and Batman brought him to Leslie's or even the Watchtower's infirmary. But as Robin cautiously grips the sheets in fists, as to not draw attention, he realizes that he's somewhere completely unknown.

The Clinics sheets were rough and papery, as it had to operate on very little money. And the Watchtower's sheets were made from a cotton fiber. What he was covered with was almost silky, but had a certain edge to it that made it itch at his skin. Robin also noticed that his mask was missing. And so was his belt and uniform.

He definitely wasn't somewhere he knew.

Now all Robin had to do was figure out exactly where he was.

He knew that he was in some kind of hospital or infirmary, the smell of disinfectant and the beeping of the heart monitor beside him said that much. And judging from the amount of pain he was still in-even though he had to be pumped full of painkillers-he was in here because of an injured from his time as Robin, not Dick Grayson.

So why was he in a seemingly ordinary hospital?

Knowing that he wouldn't be able to figure anything else out just by his other senses, Robin hesitantly started to open his eyes.

Only for them to immidiately snap shut again, making him let out a painful groan. The bright, white light above him stabbed at his eyes, but he tried once again to open them, just a sliver.

Robin didn't have to endure it very long. He tensed as he heard light footfalls on his right side, walking away from him. Then the light directly above him was shut off completely, along with all the others in the room, making it almost completely dark. The footsteps returned to the side of the bed, and he heard a weight shift onto what he assumed was a padded chair.

It was too heavy to be a normal woman or child. So either a man, or a very obese woman was sitting beside him.

He didn't dare open his eyes now, and he fought down the panic that swelled up inside him. It wouldn't work for him to be laying motionless while the heart monitor started to race.

"You awake, kid?" a masculine, soft, familiar voice asked quietly from beside him. A brief thought that Bruce was here flitted through his mind, but Robin immidiately washed away that idea. The voices didn't really match, and if it were Bruce he would know if he was awake or not.

The next thought was that a doctor had been in the room taking his vitals, and it was simply a coincidence. But why would a doctor be sitting in a chair if they were just checking up on him?

"Kid?" the voice asked again, and now the teen could here an almost desperate note to their voice.

Robin felt as though he should know them. He could see someone hazy speaking in the exact same voice, but couldn't put any facial features to them.

Whoever it was, though, they were obviously worried about him in some way. And, for some reason unknown to Robin, he felt as though he could trust whoever this was.

He must be losing his touch.

Deciding to take a chance, as there was no immidiate danger he could sense, he once again tried to pry his eyes open. His vision was a bit hazy at first, as it always is after being unconcious for an undetermined amount of time. But as he blinked rapidly he was able to open his eyes even more, and his suspicions were confirmed.

He was staring up at a white tiled ceiling, with a hanging lamp hovering just over his left eye.

"Hey, you with me?" the man asked, and Robin used all of his willpower just to tilt his head to the right. It made him feel incredibly weak.

Robin's eyes seemed to pop out of their sockets when he laid eyes on the man beside him. He felt shocked and majorly confused.

Sitting beside him, in a chair that looked to be about two sizes too small for the masculine figure, was Superman. Only he wasn't the Man of Steel, but rather Clark Kent, and Robin could tell that the man had been there a while if the dark circles under his eyes said anything. His clothes also seemed a bit ragged, as if he hadn't been able to change out of them for a couple of days.

But why Clark? Where was Bruce? Or Alfred? What was going _on?_

"Hey there, it's alright, you're safe now." he said quickly, his eyes briefly flitting towards the heart monitor that picked up slightly with Robin's emotions.

Sure, Clark was like his uncle, and he definitely loved the man, but something tore in his heart at the fact Bruce or Alfred wasn't there. The hurt must have shown in his eyes, as Clark's light blue eyes softened from its previously panicked look.

"My name's Clark Kent, and I realize that maybe you don't want to talk right now, but when your ready do you think you might want to tell me your name?" the boy scout asked, and now Robin knew something was definitely up.

Clark didn't seem to have any idea who he was. And now that he took a closer look, none of his body language showed that he held himself in a way that showed there was no familiarity.

This wouldn't be a problem if it were some other Leaguer, who didn't know his identity. But this was Clark. He's known him since he was _nine._ All of those memories he made with the Man of Steel over the years seemed to be lost on the man who sat in front of him.

This brought about a new stab of pain. Not having the people your closest to be there when you wake up in a hospital was one thing. Especially with the kinds of jobs those certain people have. But having someone you've known for years, sitting in front of you, staring as though you're simply some random kid off the street?

That hurt. A lot.

He must have let some kind of emotion slip, because Clark suddenly looked concerned again. He didn't say anything, though, which Robin was slightly grateful for. He didn't want to hear the man's voice anymore, even if it did sound so familiar to the one he grew up with.

Robin was so lost in thought that he failed to realize he had been just staring at Clark for about two minutes now. A faint color rose to his cheeks out of embarrassment, but he didn't seem to mind. In fact, Clark gave a little smile, even though his eyes still shown with slight worry.

"Well, at least I know you're not brain dead." he tried to joke with a small laugh, but then he seemed to realize where they were and his eyes widened.

"I mean, not that I ever thought that, or that the doctors said, it was…um…can we just forget about that?" Robin had to give a small smile at that, and he knew he involuntarily rolled his eyes at Clark's awkwardness. Luckily, the man seemed to like the reaction, and he just smiled brighter.

"I'll admit, talking isn't exactly my greatest strength. Sometimes things just slip out, and I don't really think about it." Clark said, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. Robin felt his lips stretch further, but he felt a slight resistance from stitches of some kind. The best he could manage right now was a slight smirk.

"It's…o…kay." Robin managed to croak, but that evolved into a coughing fit. Clark immidiately stood up from his chair and walked around the other side of the bed, towards a water dispenser Robin had failed to notice.

His lungs and throat felt like they were ripping themselves apart. Robin was extremely grateful as a small, plastic cup of water was thrust into his vision. He tried to lift his hand to take ahold of the cup, but his arm simply refused to moved. Clark seemed to realize this, and instead moved the bed into the sitting position, and placed the cup onto his lips.

Robin opened his mouth, and the cold relief was immidiate. He drained the small cup in under five seconds, and it was quickly replaced with another, and one more before Clark stopped.

"That better?" he asked, and Robin nodded slowly in reply, wincing slightly as the cartilage in his neck cracked.

"Yeah, feeling a bit more traught." he mumbled, and he winced again at his still hoarse voice.

Clark raised an amused eyebrow, a small smirk on his face.

"Traught? What's that?" Robin grinned, but the smile he wanted to have was once again restricted by whatever was on his face.

"Opposite of distraught." he explained simply, but was once again hit with a small sting of pain.

Clark should already know this. Robin's smile simmered a bit, and Clark saw that a change of subject was in order.

"Can you tell me your name? I don't want to keep calling you kid all the time."

Now came a dilemma. Should he use his real name, his hero one, or something completely new? It was quite obvious by now that something was a bit screwy, so he didn't want to give his real name, that was for certain.

His hero name was the better option, but that also held risk. He wasn't wearing his mask, and 'Robin' wasn't exactly a masculine name, so whoever this impersonator was might connect the dots.

But even though he wasn't wearing his mask, and Clark really didn't know him, shouldn't he be able to recognize Richard Grayson anyway? He was a highly popular topic in the tabloids in recent years, so it was highly unlikely that Clark wouldn't recognize him even if all the personal memories were somehow erased.

Clark Kent was a reporter. It would be very sad if he didn't know about the recent news.

It seemed as though creating a new alias was the best option, then. Robin's mind began to filter through possible names, before he suddenly stopped.

He couldn't do it. Robin couldn't lie to Clark, no matter how much he might need to. Even if he was really an impostor, he still wore Clark's face, and no one could fake the Man of Steels awkwardness.

Hero name it was.

"Robin." he answered stiffly, and Clark's patient smile he adopted while waiting for Robin to think diminished slightly.

"How about a last name?" he asked carefully, but Robin still kept his features neutral.

"Just Robin." Clark's smile turned to a frown for a brief second, before lifting once more.

"Okay, Robin. What's the last thing you remember?"

Nothing. That's what he wanted to say. But he did remember feeling cold, yet warm at the same time. There was also something wet and slightly sticky on his face, along with a feminine silhouette standing above him.

"I'm…not sure." he replied, as he wasn't really sure what all of these memories were from. He just needed a few more pieces, and he was hoping Clark would supply them.

"Do you remember seeing anyone with green hair?" and suddenly, everything came together.

He remember waking up in that strange room, walking down the hallway and seeing the Joker blocking his path. There were things thrown, and then the Joker cornered him and began his 'fun'. He carved things into his skin such as Uncle Jay, and he even had the nerve to carve the Bat symbol into his flesh. From then on it was mostly a blur of pain, blood, and broken bones.

Then Captain Marvel. Wonder Woman. They were the ones that saved him when the Joker stepped out to do who knows what.

"Y-yeah. I remember now." he answered, and cringed at the soft stutter. Sure, the Joker was scary, but he had never made him stutter.

"Alright. What else? Do you remember what they did?" Clark asked after a short nod, and Robin felt himself answering without thinking.

"No, of course I don't remember being tortured by a psychotic clown." it came out with more spite than he intended, and he winced when he heard himself. Clark's eyes seemed to widen, but Robin wasn't sure if it was from shock or some kind of revelation.

"Psychotic clown? What do you mean?" Robin's only response was to stare at Clark as if he was crazy, too.

"You don't know who I'm talking about?" he asked suspiciously, not liking the fact no one seemed to know what was going on except him.

"I'm afraid I can't say that I do."

"The Joker. That's who I'm talking about." Robin said softly, just realizing the possible severity of the situation. Who in the world could forget about the _Joker?_

"He's the one who hurt you?" Robin's only response was to nod. Clark hummed softly, his eyes glazing over as he thought over something.

"What about your parents? Where are they?" Clark seemed to snap out of his thoughts, and that question caught Robin a but off guard as well.

"Well…um…they're not exactly, around anymore." he replied softly, not all of the emotion he put into his voice fake. Clark's eyes softened in sympathy.

"I'm sorry for your loss. So, who takes care of you then?" Robin honestly didn't know how to respond, and the silence that permeated the room was tense. Clark's eyes turned even more pitiful and it stretched on.

"You have somewhere you live, right? It wouldn't be possible to survive in Wisconsin during the winter without shelter." Robin raised his eyebrows in confusion at this.

"I'm from Gotham." Robin stated simply, and Clark looked suprised.

"Gotham? Then what were you doing in Fawcett City?" Robin didn't have a reasonable answer for this, either, and simply shrugged, wincing in pain when his muscles screamed at him.

Clark looked troubled, and he seemed to hesitate before asking another question. "Is that why there was a…cut, shaped like a bat?" Robin nodded, and Clark looked really worried now. "What does this Joker have against Batman, then?"

"Nothing. And everything. He's not exactly in his right mind." he knew it was a cryptic answer, but he didn't feel like giving away too much. Robin kept having to remind himself that this wasn't the Clark he knew, that he couldn't fully trust him yet. Clark seemed slightly annoyed by this, but didn't let it show.

"Alright, Robin. I can see that you don't really want to answer anymore questions, but I have to ask…if the Joker hates Batman so much, then why did he go after you, and not Batman himself?"

Ah, the fateful question. One that he couldn't answer without actually lying. So far he had been saying half truths, not all out lies. There was no way he was getting out of this question without lying, though. It was only a matter of figuring out what to say.

Good thing he has had a lot of practice playing the clueless civilian.

"Your guess is as good as mine. Maybe I look like him or something? Maybe I was just someone he could vent out his pent up anger on. Who knows?" Clark seemed to accept this answer, but Robin still got a bad taste in his mouth from lying to him.

Even if he was almost certainly an impostor.

"Well, I'll let you rest, then. In sure you're tired." and as if it was a magic word, Robin did suddenly feel like he could collapse.

"Thanks for answering my questions, Robin. I'll sent a doctor or nurse in to make sure everything all right." the ebony tried to smile again, and was met with the same resistance as the other two times. It was getting annoying, and Clark could obviously see it as he opened the door.

"I wouldn't try to smile too much." at Robins withering glare, he shakily continued. "U-um, I mean, I know it might be hard to, but you wouldn't want to somehow rip your stitches. It'll just make it scar more than it already will."

Robin immidiately gathered up enough strength to move his right hand up to his face. His limb was slow, and he could only wish it would move faster, to confirm what he already feared he might find.

When his hand finally reached its destination, all the color left his face. Adorning his cheeks were curved stitches that began at the corners of his mouth and arched upward. He slowly caressed the stitches, as if they would magically disappear.

It seemed as though the Joker might have gotten the last laugh after all.

 **Oh, snap. I actually really liked writing this chapter for some reason. It had absolutely no action, but it had A LOT of plot development.**

 **That said, this book should be a lot longer than the first one. Lots more will be happening, and I'm really excited!**

 **Oh, and to those of you who might be wondering where updates to 'Changing Tides' might be, I am currently working through some things with that. I may or may not completely redo some chapters, as I don't like how the story is going right now.**

 **That's all I need to say, I hope you all have a marvelous day! (or night…or whenever you read this…)**

 **~Atatami**


	3. Chapter 2

All the doctors and nurses told him there was no doubt it would scar. No amount of make-up would be able to cover it up. It was just something he would have to live with, and deal with the stares he would almost certainly receive.

Robin didn't think he would ever be fully traught again.

All his scars that he had received before, both emotional and physical, could be covered up. Swept under the rug like dust, only to be brought our when Robin felt truly depressed and vulnerable. This, however, there would be no covering up.

His fists clenched in the bed sheets as Robin continued to stare at his new facial features. The lines were relatively clean, with only a few jagged edges from when he tried to struggle out of the Jokers hold. Robin hesitantly brought up his right hand and traced the scar, running over most of his lower face.

It disgusted him. Some people-mostly crimminals-commented on how his cackle was eerily reminiscent of the Jokers (some conspiracy theorists even said that the reason their laughs were so similar was because they were father and son, and Batman only got involved to stop him from becoming like his father. All party's involved were not happy about this rumor). Robin hated when they compared him to the psychopath, but he refused to stop doing it.

The cackle may be similar to anothers, but it was still one of his trade marks.

Now, he had another feature people can compare to the Jokers. One that there would be no writing off as simply a flaw, or something that was twisted in such a way that it became poisoned. The scars themselves were already poison.

Robin brought his hand back down and sighed, once again thinking over how exactly he ended up in this position.

And all of it happened because he was stupid. Irrational. Reckless. Typical teenager traits that, for him, led to catastrophic consequences.

Why couldn't he be a normal teenager, where these traits would lead to late night party's, sneaking out with friends, or rebelling in small ways that barely mattered? Hell, he would even take getting in trouble with drugs or alcohol over this.

At least then he could have a chance of recovery.

Robin also realized that he could possibly start a new, normal life here. Wherever here was, as it was clear he was not in the world he grew up with.

Clark came by once or twice a week during his almost month stay at the hospital. Although he enjoyed these visits, and looked forward to them quite a bit, it was still painful. He looked exactly like the one Robin knew, but every time he came by, there was still no sign that Clark seemed to really know him.

Robin remembered the many times he tried to subtly get in formation out of him, things such as how he ended up in Wisconsin, where exactly he stayed in Gotham, and any other existing family members. And Robin always changed the topic as soon as any of these things came up.

As the visits dragged on he could tell Clark was getting slightly irritated with him, and he found a strange sense of amusement in that.

Eventually, he realized that it was clear that even someone close to him had no idea who he was, and he could live a normal life. Go to the orphanage like he was supposed to all those years ago, get adopted by a good family, and live out the rest of his life like an ordinary citizen.

Or there was the alternative. Go to the orphanage, get adopted by abusive or neglectful parents, and become a nomad, traveling the country and possibly even joining a circus again.

With all the easy endings to this he could think of, however, he realized all of them involved going to the orphanage or CPS, which he was very hesitant about.

From what he remembered on how they treated him as an eight year old who was just traumatized, he was doubtful it would be any better for him now. Robin remembered the way the social worker assigned to him stared down in disgust, not once missing the vile things she hissed under breath about him and his 'gypsy filth' he called family.

Then, when there was no readily available room at an orphanage, he was sent to the Juvenile Detention Center. He would never forget the twisted amusement in Mrs. Forman's eyes when she pushed him through the gates.

It finally solidified how horrible human being were in his eight year old mind.

Which only left two options. Out himself to Clark when he came in ten minutes, or break out of the hospital and go it alone on the streets.

Both of these options had major pros and cons, too many to think of. But as the time ticked down on the clock, he was starting to lean towards the latter of the options.

If he revealed himself to Clark, then there would be many questions that would be very difficult to answer. Not to mention he would most likely have to face the entire Justice League, and basically tell them his entire life story and how he got to this alternate Earth.

Because that was the only conclusion Robin could come up with. Some things were different, but others were exactly the same. Such as the issue on the Joker. It seemed as though there was no Joker in this dimension before, yet almost every other Gotham villain (except Bane, he had no idea about him) was here.

Originally, Robin felt as though he should be shocked by the earth-shattering revelation, but all he felt was a sense of despair and exhaustion. Robin thought he was simply in some kind of simulation, but another Earth entirely?

There was almost no chance of him being able to get back. But he would be damned if he wouldn't at least try to.

Now he just had to figure out how. And the first step was getting out of this hospital.

He was fairly well, and he was almost off of pain killers at this point. The only injury that still bothered him was his ribs, but they had almost healed, and were simply bruised. It would definitely be possible, but if he did it, he would have to do it tonight.

Robin sighed, knowing that this would most likely be the last time he would see this Clark in a while, if ever. Might as well tell him what he wants to know, then.

The ebony took a deep breath, and stared at the door as there were two knocks, a pause, and then three more. Their special knocking sequence so he knew it was Clark and not some doctor.

"You can come in." he announced, and he smiled warmly when he saw Clark enter, his own smile reflected on the elder's face.

"How are you today, Robin?" he asked. Robin rolled his eyes at the question, it always being the first thing Clark said when he entered his room.

"Felling fine. Can't wait to get out, though." Clark hummed in agreement as he sat down in his designated chair beside his bed.

"Yeah, I can see how someone might get a bit restless after almost a month here. But at least you got to stay in Gotham General, so you wouldn't have had to get transferred any where."

Robin nodded, and took a deep breath before putting his plan in action.

"Hey, can I ask you a question?" at Clark's enthusiastic nod, he continued, trying hard to look innocent. "I know you're a reporter in Metropolis, so how can you still have your job and drive all the way to Gotham so often?"

Clark inhaled sharply, and stared at Robin for a moment, his eyes calculating. Robin continued to look like he just asked an innocent question, and Clark seemed to buy it.

"Well, I may have fibbed a bit and said you were a family member, and managed to get more hours off in order to visit. Not much is happening in Metropolis, anyway."

Robin snorted a bit. "I'm honored that you would be willing to lie to your boss just to see me." he looked at Clark, and his humourus smirk became more genuine. "I really am grateful, though. It would be pretty boring without you coming to visit."

The man beamed at him, obviously pleased. But then it happened once again. His eyes turned downwards slightly, and his smile became more patient, like he was about to talk to a child.

The exact same face he made every time he wanted to ask a personal question.

Robin breathed a little deeper, and steeled himself a bit. He wasn't sure exactly what Clark was going to stay, but whatever it was he was planning to answer with as much honesty as possible.

"You, um, wouldn't have to be so alone if we knew where some of your, uh, other family members were?" there was a note of desperation in his voice along with a sliver of hope.

Robin inwardly smiled at this. No matter what Earth he was on, it seemed as though some people's personalities couldn't be changed.

"I don't have any other blood relations..." he trailed, and looked down into his lap where he interlocked his fingers. Clark seemed to be holding his breath, waiting for him to continue. It was the most Robin had ever said about his extended family, and he was most likely getting his hopes up.

He wouldn't be dissapointed.

Robin briefly glanced up to the man's face, and had to stop himself from smirking at the look. "And, well, the only people I even remember as anything close to family are probably on a different continent." Clark raised an eyebrow, so Robin offered a simple explaination. "My folks and I used to be a part of the Circus."

Clark looked really suprised at this, and Robin could tell he was bursting with new questions.

"The Circus? What was the name of it?" he could hear the hope very clearly now.

"I'm...not entirely sure. It was a long time ago, and I was really little when my parents..." it pained Robin to lie when he was supposed to be 'coming clean' so to speak, but it was unfortunately necessary. He couldn't exactly give out every thing that might lead to someone figuring out who he was.

If Dick Grayson even existed here. Or if he was even alive. Who knows, maybe he was destined to fall on that fateful day on this Earth?

Clark's questioning gaze softened a bit. "That's alright. So, is there anyone who you stay with now? Or a shelter that you typically go to?"

Robin was immediately ready with an answer. "I live mostly on the streets near Park Row, but I do go to some shelters on the really bad nights." It was a complete lie, of course, but he still had to fill in the gaps to his story.

The man looked momentarily suprised at this. "Park Row? Why not some nicer neighbor hood?"

Robin simply shrugged, but Clark seemed to take that as an answer enough. He seemed to be pondering over every thing Robin had said at a lightning fast pace.

Finally, after what seemed like forever of silence, Clark looked at him with sympathetic eyes.

"You know I can't just let you go back on the streets in good conscience, right?"

Robin sighed. He just had to make this harder, didn't he?

"Yeah, I figured." Clark gave him a sad smile, and made a move to stand up from his chair.

Robin watched him, every little move he made telling him Clark really didn't want to put him in the care of Gotham's CPS. It made him feel a bit better that he actually somewhat cared for him, even though he's known Robin for less than a month.

"I better be going now. Lois is going to kill me if I'm late to dinner again." he started towards the door, and opened it in one swift motion. "See you in a couple days?"

Robin looked at Clark's warm eyes, a wad of tight guilt building in his stomach. It took all his effort to keep his eyes from welling up with tears.

"Yeah. I hope I'll see you again some day." Clark gave him a bit of a funny look at his wording, but didn't comment. He simply waved back at Robin, walking out a softly closing the door behind him.

Robin sighed, his head rolling back onto the poor excuse for pillows stacked behind him. He closed his eyes, rubbing them of any wetness that may have been left behind.

The ebony kept having to tell himself that he did the right thing. He did what was necessary in order to have a chance at getting back home without disturbing anymore of these people's lives.

As Batman says, the mission is everything, and his mission right now was to get back to his own Earth. He had to make a plan, and saying his farewells to Clark was simply part one of the first stage. He would only get in the way in the long run, anyway.

Now determined, he brought down his hands over his face, running over the smile permanently etched into his face. This only furthered his resolve, and a rough sketch of a concrete plan was slowly forming.

Break out of the hospital. Finish healing properly on the streets. Gather supplies to make some sort of living while gathering materials for some sort of inter-dimensional transporter. Get back to his Earth.

And somewhere along the road, make sure a certain clown paid the price for wronging a very dangerous, and very pissed bird.

 **Yep, that's it! Sorry I haven't been very active lately, the new semester, Forensics and spring volley ball has had me pretty booked for a little while.**

 **Hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

 **(P.S. Please excuse any grammatical errors in this, I am very tired and didn't really want to look it over :-P)**

 **~Atatami**


	4. Chapter 3

**Okay, before I even start, let's get some things straight. Bruce Wayne is 27 in this universe, and he started being Batman when he was 24. I am going on the notion his parents died in 1992, when he was ten, and go ahead and do the math. (it took me about an hour to try and figure this out alone. Since comic books are so weird I couldn't find a birth date for Bruce Wayne that would work, so I went with what someone said his parents death date could possibly be.)**

 **Just, don't flame at me, okay? This was really the only way I could make the dates and years that I want work. Plus, this is going to be set on an Earth that is not shown in any TV show, movie, or comic book, so I'm going to use some creative freedom that I hope won't be too ridiculous.**

 **Alright? Alright**

The whispers seemed to follow him down the street, along with the multiple stares he received. His expression darkened and Robin once again attempted to pull the ratty, stained, navy blue sweat shirt farther up his face.

Escaping from the hospital was easier than he originally thought. He had already memorized the doctors rounds around the hospital at night, he simply had to wait for the longest intervals. Once the coast was clear, he gathered up what medication and clothes he could find in the hospital room-including pain killers and a plain t-shirt with a pair of basket ball shorts. Then Robin simply opened the window and scaled down the building with relative ease, as his room was on the second floor of the ten storey hospital.

His ribs complained a bit on the slightly rough landing, but it was nothing Robin couldn't manage. From there he simply 'borrowed' more inconspicuous clothes from a nearby Gas Station, hunkering down in a nearby alleyway until dawn touched the sky.

He really didn't want to start his journey with a mugging or some other horrible crime being aimed at him.

So far, it seemed as though this Gotham's layout was very similar to the one he protected. Some shops and buildings seemed out of place, but every large landmark looked exactly the same, in the exact same place he remembered them to be.

After almost two hours of scouting out the new/old city of foot, the civilians started pouring out of their homes, trudging on with their regular routines.

This is where Robins new troubles began.

He managed to snatch an old pair of ripped Blue Jeans, a white T-shirt with the NASA logo, and an old navy blue hoodie, but he neglected to get some things for his new facial features.

As more and more people crowded the streets, he gained more and more unwanted attention. The last thing Robin wanted was rumors about 'the boy with the smile scars' going around. That would certainly attract the Jokers attention, no matter where that clown might be. And he wasn't quite ready to go face-to-face with the psychopath quite yet.

No matter how much he wanted to pound the clowns face in, he had to admit he wasn't in the best of health.

That also brought about another problem. His ribs had healed nicely, but not completely. Every wrong move Robin made gave him a stab of pain. He's had much worse, of course, but it was very annoying.

Sadly, there was nothing Robin could currently do about it, as he needed to get out of the hospital to explore the new world he found himself in.

Robin let out a deep sigh, his breath slightly fogging in the February air. That was another thing he found interesting. Before he woke up in the hospital, it was almost October, and now it was February.

He really shouldn't have been suprised, but he was. It was just another thing to set this world apart from his own.

It was about noon now, but the sun had yet breach the smoggy cloud cover. The streets were very crowded now, and the smells of the city he knew overwhelmed him.

How in the world could something be so similar, yet so different all at once? Robin couldn't think about it. All it would give him was yet another headache.

Pushing through the crowd of people, he turned the corner into a deserted alleyway. Robin walked deeper into the darkness of the shadows, hoping to get away from the suffocation in the streets.

The alleyway was no where near clean, but it would suffice. The garbage cans were overflowing and graffiti littered the walls. Typical alley things.

He shivered, and tried in vain to pull the sweat shirt closer. Robin knew February in Gotham was colder than most, but this was boring on ridiculous. His Robin uniform was warming than the tattered clothes he wore.

Robin stopped for a moment at the painful ping that reverberated through his chest. What he wouldn't give to be back in his suit, in the city he knew, the weapons he was trained with, and the man he knew better than he knew himself.

Running his hand through his hair, Robin leaned back against the right side of the alleyway wall and slowly slid to the ground. The motion jarred his ribs, but he did little more than wince. Now that he was in a relatively safe and secluded place, the reality of every thing seemed to come crashing down.

A lump formed in the back of his throat. His breath hitched, and he curled into himself even more, wrapping his arms around his knees.

When he felt tears beginning to form in the corners of his eyes, he lowered his head to the crook of his arms. Robin let a sob escape, and he only hoped that this alleyway was as empty as it appeared.

A hollowness filled him as he let out more sobs. Robin hadn't felt this alone since the day every thing fell apart all those years ago.

This felt very similar to that. Losing every thing you know, the pity every one gives you, and being thrust into a world where you are completely, and utterly lost, wry no idea what to do. It seemed as if history wanted to repeat itself.

Robin didn't want to be alone. That fear had seemed to manifest itself even more ever since the formation of the team. Now, he was in a world where he had no choice but to be alone, if only for the safety of others.

Eyes closed, Robin raised his head out of his arms and looked it back until it hit the brick behind him. He could feel the tears rolling down his face at a steady pace, but he didn't care to stop them. For the past few years he had very little leeway to express how he actually felt, and there was no way he could keep that up.

Batman might be dissapointed in such a weak display, but he was in an entirely different universe. It didn't matter what Batman thought anymore.

A rustling to his right, behind a nearby garbage can, snapped him back to awareness. His entire body tensed, and he hurridely wiped at his eyes. Robin was about a second away from standing when a small ball of fur came crashing towards him.

"Ah!" he exclaimed as he fell over onto his back, not expecting the attack.

"Mrreeow" was the only response he got as a weight settled into his chest. Robins eyebrow quirked as he sat up on his elbows.

A small tongue licked his nose as soon as his face was close, and a small smile graced Robins face at the sight that awaited him.

On top of his chest was a typical, orange tabby kitten, although it was quite large to be called a kitten. Its eyes were a deep emerald that seemed to glow, and there was a sizable chunk missing out of its left ear. Instead of the pink nose typical to most of their breed, this one had a pitch black nose. It was an odd feature, but Robin didn't have the heart to say it looked weird on the kitten.

"Well, hello to you too, little guy." the hollowness he had previously felt dimmed some, and he brought up his right hand to scratch behind the damaged ear. His eyes rolled back, and he emitted a low purr at the action.

"Huh, you're pretty tame for an alley cat. And well fed, too. You have an owner?" as if the cat understood, pushed farther into his hand, as if he was saying 'I do NOW'.

Robin pushed himself up further so he was in a sitting position, the kitten still in his lap. He jumped up onto his hind legs and put his paws on Robins chest, leaning his head in to lick at his chin. Robin snorted, and grabbed the kitten so it was right in front of him.

"You're cute, but you can't stay with me. I don't exactly have money to get food for myself, much less a cat. Same with shelter." Robin put the kitten on the ground and it stared back at him, ears slightly drooping. His emerald eyes seemed to bore into him, begging him to reconsider.

Robin met the gaze full on, not willing to succumb. He stood up to the Batglare too many times to count, a small kitten wouldn't be a problem.

OoOoOoO

Apparently, a small kitten was a very big problem, as Robin was currently trying to keep it warm under his sweat shirt. The kitten, or as Robin now called him, Kid, was squirming around, trying to find a suitable place to try and sleep.

Robin, however, was trying to navigate the streets in the light of the overcast moon, all the while hoping not to freeze to death. He started the day near the police station, but now he wasn't entirely where he was. He was used to navigating the city by roof, not foot.

But, if he had to take a guess, he would say he was heading closer and closer to the Narrows, if the shattering of glass was anything to go by.

Robins instincts told him to go and stop who ever was doing the crime, but he couldn't bring attention to himself. It went against every thing he has ever knew and been taught, but he trudged on through the back alley's, Kid continuously squirming in his jacket.

He really didn't want to head into the Narrows, but it didn't look like he had much choice. All of the places he had scouted out earlier were already taken by other homeless persons.

Of course, he could always find a way to get onto a roof, but he didn't know if he would be able to manage. Sure, he dropped two stories out of the hospital, but that was dropping. Climbing would be much more strenuous on his muscles, more importantly his ribs. Plus, he now had a passenger to worry about.

He sighed as he turned a corner into another back alley. Only this one wasn't as empty as all the others had been.

A man sat in a corner on a flattened card board box, right by a large trash can. He had a small fire going under his legs, just small enough not to be noticed if someone was simply passing by. Robin couldn't see much because of the shadows and distance, but he could tell he was scrawny, his face hollow with shaggy hair in a chopped up military style on top of his head.

He was about to back away, leave the man alone, but Kid then decided that the sweat shirt wasn't working. With a meow mixed with a growl he struggled more, until his head popped up underneath Robins chin.

The noise attracted the man's attention and his head was turned towards him so fast Robins was suprised he didn't get whip lash.

In the shadows from the fire he could tell that the man's face was dirty, and his eyes were very dark. There was an almost murderous glint to them, and Robin almost bolted when he saw him stand up.

This guy may not have been very muscled, but he definitely made up for it in height. He seemed to tower over Robin, even though he was still a good fifteen feet away.

The man took one step forward, and Robin took a step back in turn. But until the man made any threatening gestures, Robin wouldn't back down. Kid seemed to sense his distressed, and gave out a low growl.

The giant raised an eyebrow, but didn't take another step forward. His lips curled up into a smirk, but Robin couldn't quite tell if it was all amusement or not.

Kid growled again, and the man gave a little scoff.

"Now, what exactly do you think you're doing, boy?"

 **Hey! I'm here once again! (we got the day off of school, so i thought I should probably write)**

 **Okay, but really relevant, but I stopped watching Star Wars: Rebels a while ago cause I just kinda fell out of it, but I just finished season 4 and……holy crap why did I ever stop? I literally watched the entire season in two days.**

 **So, just a little heads up if your into Rebels, there may be a fic coming out after I finish either this or Changing Tides relating to that. I started writing one on Wattpad a little while ago, but I could never figure out what exactly to do with it so it was deleted, but I may try again soon! So be aware!**

 **~Atatami**


	5. Chapter 4

**Can someone explain how auto correct changes 'gut' to 'furry'? It kept happening and I am still really confused.**

 **(Also, some name's come up in this chapter, but they don't really have much importance other than a small easter egg of sorts)**

Kid managed to wriggle his way completely out of Robin's jacket, dropping to the ground, still hissing at the man in front if them. All his hairs stood on end, and he gave out a continuous, low growl when the hissing stopped.

Robin couldn't say that he was much better. From just the way he currently held himself, Robin could tell he was going to be a problem.

"What's a kid like you doing out here, so close to the Narrows, in the dead of night?" the man questioned again, taking yet another step forward. Robin took another step back, Kid stalking back as well.

The man scoffed. "And with a kitten, no less. You some rebellious teenager with a death wish, cause it sure seems like it." his eyes suddenly turned even more murderous. "Or maybe you're part of a gang. Is that it?"

Robin's gaze hardened as he assessed his options. He could almost certainly take the man down if it came to swings, but he didn't want to take any unnessesary risks. The other option was to try and settle this small dispute diplomatically, but based on the glint in the giants eye that was unlikely.

It didn't hurt to try, though.

"Look, I didn't run away and I'm not in any gang. Let's just forget about this and I'll go on my way, alright?" he said. For a second, he could have sworn the man's eyes softened some what, but it was impossible to tell with all the shadows.

The man let out a small chuckle, but it wasn't filled with any humour. "Not gonna cut it, kid. Give me a believable reason, and maybe I'll let you and your pet go along."

Robin felt anger and annoyance creeping into his senses. What was this guy's problem? He just wanted to go and find a safe place to sleep, it's not like he was stealing from this guy.

Kid seemed to puck up on it, because his growling increased even more, and he took a step forward.

"Why do you want to know so bad? Just let me pass and you will never see me again." he ground out, now glaring at the man.

He saw the giant clench his fist, and his muscles tensed. If this guy was going to attack, he needed to be ready. Robin may hold the advantage with skill, but this guy was still much bigger than him, and he wasn't so easily deceived by his scrawny frame.

"Tell me why you're out right now, and we won't have a problem here." the other man ground out, his features twisting into a snarl.

The bird ground his teeth in frustration, clenching his own fists. This guy was very persistent.

Of course, he could always turn and go back the way he came, but then he would have to scour for another alley that wasn't a dead end. As far as Robin was concerned at the moment, this man was blocking the only way forward.

"You want to know why I'm out in the middle of the night? Fine." Robin exclaimed, unconsciously raising his voice. "Cause I'm tired, and I need to find somewhere semi-safe to sleep in Gotham. And I think you know how hard that is." he blurted, all of it coming out in a rush.

There was a moment of silence, neither of their expressions changing. Then the man sighed, running a dirtied gloved hand over his face. He looked straight at Robin, then Kid (who was still growling), and his expression softened immidietly.

Robins eyebrow raised at the apparent sadness he could see. His muscles were still tense, and his fists still clenched in case it was a false front.

Then the man simply turned back towards his little camp and sat back down, stroking the now dying fire. Kid stopped growling, and his ears perked up a bit in curiosity. Robin was equally suprised by the man's sudden mood change.

He glanced at Robin for a moment, before reaching beside him and bringing out a crumpled news paper. He tore it to tiny pieces and gingerly placed it over the fire.

Robin was now immensely confused. Why would this guy go through all the trouble trying to figure out why he was out so late, only to ignore him when Robin finally tells him? None of it made any sense.

But, he would count it as a win for now.

Cautiously he started to walk forward, Kid falling into step beside him, always between Robin and the man.

As he passed directly in front of the man, Robin could finally get a good look at his face. When he was younger, he would have good looking, but age and malnourishment had not treated him well. Well defined cheek bones littered with stubble jutted out from his face, with large, cracked lips and a round nose placed between. Robin could now see the man had dark, chocolate brown eyes that almost melted together with his pupil. The whites of his eyes were bloodshot, and his hair looked almost as black as his own.

Kid growled as he slowly passed, and they briefly locked eyes. Robin narrowed his eyes and swiftly turned away.

The man was now behind him, and he was just about to exit the alley when the man spoke up once more.

"Y'know, you kinda remind me of my son."

Robin stopped in his tracks at the proclamation, eyes slightly widening. The man didn't continue, but none the less, Robin turned his head slightly so he could see the man again.

He was looking right at him, but his eyes seemed clouded over. Lost in memory. He quickly shook it off, and sniffed before turning back to his fire.

It was tempting. He could walk away, and forget all about this incident. Or, he could let his curiosity take control for a moment and question the man further. He certainly seemed like an interesting character to talk to.

Curiosity eventually won, and Robin turned fully to face him. Kid whined and pawed at his pant leg, but he ignored him.

"What did he look like?" he asked, and the man's eyes swivelled back towards him. "Your son."

Robin could've swore he saw the man's lips twitch slightly in the semblalnce of a smile, but he claimed it on the twisting shadows from the fire. They broke eye contact, and the man stared at the wall in front of him for a moment before speaking.

"He was about your age, tan skin and green eyes from his mother, with my black hair and tall genes." He closed his eyes and really smiled now, revelling in the memory of his son. "His name was Leo, his zodiac, and he was the smartest boy I had ever seen. He was my life after my wife was taken from me." his tone turned somber, and the joyous smile from a moment ago turned to grief.

He didn't need to continue, anyway. Robin knew all that he needed to know.

"I'm sorry." he mumbled, and he was. He knew the pain of loss better than anyone.

The man turned back to look at Robin, and the smile he saw was possibly the most welcoming thing he saw since he arrived in this world. Even more so than Clark's.

Clark's smile was nice, but it was mostly put on to try and coax information out of the Boy Wonder. This smile was one that was warm, and full of no malicious intent.

"I'm sorry for you, too." the man replied, and Robins eyes widened in shock. The man simply chuckled, the deep baritone strangely soothing. "I would know that look anywhere, even if I can't fully see you with that hood up. Seen it on myself too many times to mistake it. So, if you don't mind me asking, who was it?"

Robin knew he shouldn't have answered, should have just walked away, but he found himself speaking anyway.

"Everyone." he whispered, hugging himself and turning his head away. He felt tears brimming at the edges of his vision but quickly blinked them away. Crying once in one day was bad enough, but twice? In front of a random guy? No way that was happening.

There was silence except for the soft crackling of the fire, before the man sighed. "C'mere, kid. Nowhere safer this close to the Narrows than with me."

Robins eyes narrowed, suspicion obvious. Kid mewled at his feet, seeming to reject the notion entirely.

It was certainly a gamble, trusting this man. Sure, he just had a heart-to-heart with him, but the way he acted when he first saw Robin was a bit too aggravated. Sure, it might have just been a tough mask to get Robin scared, but he was careful about taking leaps of faith. Robin didn't even know this guy's name!

The man seemed to sense his suspicions, and he broke into a lopsided smirk. "Don't worry, that little act before was simply how I learned to survive on the streets. You have to stand tall and proud, not give any ground, or you'll be dead meat."

Robin was inclined to believe him, but that seed of doubt was still firmly planted in his gut. He would be taking a huge leap of faith trusting this guy enough to even let his guard down even a little bit.

But there was also the other side of him that begged him to go over and stay with this man. He was the only one besides Clark who had shown any kindness or sympathy towards him at all, even if their first meeting was a bit rocky. Besides, he had already just admitted that he didn't have anyone left to go to.

And, if it really came down to it, he was sure he would be able to win against him in a fight, especially if Kid warned him before he attacked.

All in all, the pros were starting to outweigh the cons.

So, against his logics judgement, he went over to the man. He moved over slightly so mire of the cardboard box was open, and patted it with his ungloved hand.

Robin could tell Kid was still suspicious of the man, so before he sat down he picked him up and cradled him in his arms. The kitten protested, but eventually stopped when Robin sat and placed him in his lap and started to scratch behind his ears.

"The names Burns. Or that's what the other homeless people in the community call me." the man, Burns, introduced.

Burns looked over to Robin, and his eyes widened. He muffled a gasp, and blinked rapidly as though whatever he was seeing was going to disappear.

It took a moment to realize what he was looking at, but as soon as it clicked Robin immiditely turned away. He could feel his cheeks heat up, but whether it was from embarrassment or rage he couldn't tell.

"Kid..." Burns trailed off, coughing slightly, trying to regain his composure. "Who...did that to you?" the question was uttered in a soft voice, but it still seemed to ring around in Robins ears.

The fist not stroking Kid clenched, and he managed to look back at Burns with a fire now blazing behind his eyes. "Someone who is going to regret their decision." he told him in a cold voice. Kid mewled and nuzzled the hand that had momentarily stopped petting him.

Burns seemed to sense that a change in topic was in order, and his sights landed on the orange tabby on Robins lap.

"What's this little guys name?" he asked.

Robin smiled internally a little at the attempt to save the conversation, and gave Burns a small, lopsided grin.

"Kid. His name is Kid." Robins grin had turned into a full smile now, and Burns face reflected it. "And my names Robin."

Burns raised an eyebrow. "Kid? Robin? Those are some unique names. I was expecting Patch or Stripe or something for the cat. And I pictured you as a Grant."

Robins snickered a bit, but quickly regained his composure. "Yeah, I guess they are pretty unique. I named him Kid because he reminded me of one of my old friends..." Robin trailed, his grin faltering slightly, but quickly regained composure. "And I don't really picture myself as a Grant. If anything, I would see myself as a Jason."

Burns smile widened, and he began to poke at the fire once again.

For once, it seemed as though the universe was at peace. The only sounds to be heard was the city night life and the crackling of the fire.

If he closed his eyes, he could almost picture himself back at Wayne Manor, his small family hudled around a campfire on one of there few days off from protecting the city. Watching as Bruce struggled to toast a marshmallow, burning it everytime, and his twisted face as he ate it anyway. Robin could see his nine year old self giggling as he made his own perfect, golden brown s'more and handing it to Bruce, who smiled warmly and took it. He would split it in half, give on half to Dick, and playfully ruffle his hair as he giggled once more.

Alfred would be sitting on a chair nearby, smiling as his two charges bonded as father and son. The three of them simply having a normal, non-chaotic night.

Robin smiled at the fond memory and leaned his head back against the wall. His eyes fluttered shut, his hand resting against Kids stomach, rising up and down as he breathed. Before he could even think about the dangers of falling asleep next to Burns, a man he still knew little to nothing about, he was out like a light.

 **Hope you liked it! Looks like Robin finally found someone he can rely on, right?**

 **Oh, and for those of you who hate to see OC's integrated into stories, don't worry, Burns should be the last major one. Of course, there will be other made up characters that I am planning to introduce, but they are minor and show up for maybe a chapter at most.**

 **See Ya in the next chapter!**

 **~Atatami**


	6. Chapter 5

To say Robin was panicked when he woke up would be an understatement. He was absolutely _terrified_.

Blearily, he cracked his eyes open as the first streaks of dawn came down into the alley. It took a moment to register the ball of fur in his lap, but then he remembered his new animal tag along from yesterday.

Robin still didn't know exactly how or why the cat came into his care, but he was none the less glad to at least have something familiar when he woke.

The lanky arm around his shoulders, however, was _defienetly not familiar._

The birds eyes snapped open wide and he gathered Kid into his arms, leaping to his feet and away from who ever was beside him. The kitten hissed at the unhappy awakening, and dug his claws into Robins arms in retaliation. Robin barely gave notice, tensing as he stared at the man in the ground from the other side of the alley.

In turn with Robins sudden movement, the previous stranger looked alarmed, simply staring at him for a moment.

It was then that Robin recognized the hollow face of Burns, and the nights events came rushing back to him. His body relaxed, and he closed his eyes as he gave a sigh of relief.

Burns seemed to know exactly what just transpired, and his gaze softened. "Sorry if I startled ya'. You were shivering in your sleep." he offered as an explaination.

Robin simply nodded, the adrenaline rush slowly fading. But as it did, his ribs decided to voice their discomfort of the sudden movements, and Robin couldn't help but wince slightly.

Slight concern filled Burns eyes, and he slowly hoisted himself up off of the flattened cardboard box.

"You okay, kid?" Robin was slightly startled to hear real worry in the man's voice.

Usually the homeless only cared about them selves, especially in Gotham. Robin had once witnessed a squabble between two homeless over a moldy slice of bread. And there were no telling how many bodies there were strewn through out the city of the homeless people who couldn't defend themselves properly.

Burns seemed to be a paradox. Aside from their first meeting, he genuinely seemed to care. For Robin, a wandering kid he just met that was very obviously not normal. And then he offered to share his (most likely) well fought for sleeping spot.

Was it too much to hope for that he could be trusted, or was he simply being tricked by someone with more nefarious plans?

"Y-yeah, I'm fine. Just...some bruised ribs." he answered. Kid started to squirm around in his hold, and Robin reluctantly let go as the kitten gracefully jumped to the ground.

Burns concern only seemed to grow. "And where exactly did those come from?"

Robin sighed. This man was just full of questions, wasn't he? Burns could not just leave problems alone.

"From the same person who gave me these..." Robin trailed softly, gently grazing his fingers against the scar across his right cheek. When Burns gaze turned to pity, Robins anger flared and his hand turned into a fist. He yanked his hood back over his head, and Robins face was once again concealed. His gaze hardened and he looked to the ground, trying to escape the weak feeling the look gave him.

Burns finally seemed to get that the issue shouldn't be pushed, and gave a reluctant sigh while rubbing a hand through his hair. His expression was brightened by a smile almost immediately, however, and Robin rose his eyebrow at the sudden change in mood.

It seemed Burns was quite a fan of randomly changing moods.

"I know, let's get some things for breakfast. How's that sound?" the man seemed genuinely excited about that prospect, and Robin hesitantly nodded in agreement. The smile on Burns face grew, and he turned in the direction Robin was attempting to go last night.

Robin followed him with Kid on his heels as Burns navigated the alleyways with ease. At least that showed one thing about the man; he had obviously been on the streets for quite a while.

"I'm gonna show ya' the best place to eat on this side of homeless street." then, with a contemplative look on his face, turned his head to glance at Robin trailing behind him. "Which in Gotham is almost all of them, but that is besides the point."

Robin continued to be puzzled by the giant of the man he was following. He seemed to be so familiar with Robin, as if he had known hin for years. Wasn't friendliness a dangerous trait to have when homeless? That is what he always thought, anyway.

They continued on, before Burns finally stopped at the mouth of an alley that led out onto a bustling street. The sun was now blazing bright on the horizon, providing Gotham one of its rare sunny days. And it seemed people were eager to take advantage.

Robin came up to stand beside Burns, with Kid amusing himself by winding in and out of their legs. The bird glanced down with a smirk at the kittens antics, then redirected his attention back out onto the street.

Most of the people bustling around seemed normal enough, but since they were so close to the worse side of town, there was an air of hostility around everyone. Most of the men wore crumpled suits with half made ties as they stumbled off to their jobs that paid minimum wage, while the women strutted down the street in clothes that should not be seen in public.

Teens were also seen in the street, most with dyed hair, black, leather clothes, and cigarettes sticking out on their lips. Robin saw that most of them seemed to stay in groups of three or four, their hair seeming to color-code the 'gangs'.

Robin was brought out of his musings when Burns bumped his shoulder, and gestured to his left. The teen leaned a bit out so he could see what he was looking at, and rose his eyebrow.

Right now, Burns was looking at a basic food truck with a cartoon smiling waffle plastered onto the side parked on the street. People barely gave the truck a glance as they passed, save for a few tired, ragged looking men who gave over their money and walked away with a simple bagel.

Robins mouth twisted into a frown. "What, a food truck? I don't know about you, but I don't exactly have any change." he said, giving Burns an inquisitive glance.

Burns merely put a hand on his shoulder and started leading him out into the crowd. People scowled at Burns as they walked out, sticking up their noses at his clothes and disheveled looking appearance as he seemed to tower over everyone he passed by at least three inches.

Robin stopped for a moment, bringing Burns with him, when he realized that Kid was struggling through the crowd of legs, a few muttering curses as they almost stepped on him.

Finding a break in the flow of legs, Kid dashed forward with a panicked meowl and jumped into his arms, ears firmly pressed to his head and eyes wide as he looked at all the people passing. Robin gave a small smile and started petting him encouragingly while Burns continued to pull him through the sea of scowling faces.

They finally managed to reach the truck, and Burns stopped when they found a spot devoid of the rushing commute.

Robin couldn't seem to concentrate on what Burns was saying to the vendor. He could feel his shoulders shake in laughter after a moment from the hand on his shoulder, but his focus was finely tuned to the crowd around him.

He hugged Kid closer to him and unconsciously turned his head so the hood covered almost his whole face in shadows.

Even though he knew the crowd would be too preoccupied to notice a small teen like him, Robin couldn't help but feel as though all of their eyes were staring at him. All the whispers and muttering of passing conversations were about his disturbing scars.

Is this how Bruce felt all the time? The paranoia that everyone was out to get you, and that nobody could be trusted? If so, he really needed to apologize to him for making decisions that seemed irrational at the time. Who could blame someone for acting irrationally if this happened all the time?

Yep, he was definitely apologizing to Bruce if he ever saw him again. No, _when_ he saw Bruce again. There was no _if_.

"Hey, Robin , you still with me?" Burns asked jokingly, waving his gloved hand in front of his face. Robin shook his head slightly to clear his thoughts, and gave a small nod.

"Again, I've gotta ask, when'd you pick up a kid?" the man in the van asked, holding a pair of tongs in his hand as he leaned on the metal overhang.

The guy seemed ordinary enough. Blonde hair, brown eyes, pale skin, and seemed a bit on the short side. He wore a simple black shirt and jeans with an apron over them, and a blue-tooth stuck in his ear.

Burns gave the man a smirk and patted Robin on the back. "Just last night. Came walking right into my alley with that little bundle-o-fur and I decided, 'Well, I don't really want a kids death on my conscience, do I'? So, I took him under my wing, so to speak." Burns gave Robin a wink, but Robin could only squirm uncomfortably in his place.

He wouldn't say that Burns took him under his wing, per se. That's what Batman did, all those years ago. And, sure, Burns may have been teaching him the ropes, but he had only known the man for a _night_. Not nearly long enough to build the kind of relationship Burns had seemed to think they had.

"Well, I suppose it doesn't really matter." the blonde man shrugged, pulling out two bagels from a small oven with a tong and shoving them into a plastic bag.

He promptly handed the bag to Burns and gave Robin a small smile.

"Thanks again, Dez. Sure it doesn't hurt to give two instead of one?" Burns asked, looking ready to hand the bag back. But the blonde man, Dez, simple shrugged.

"Nah, don't worry about it. Just glad to help." he replied, and gave Burns a small wave as he led Robin back to the alleyway they had emerged from.

As soon as they were out of sight Robin let out a small breath he didn't know he had been holding. A weight seemed to have been lifted off of his shoulders as Burns fished out one of the bagels from the bag.

Kid jumped out of the security of his arms as soon as they were in relative safety from the crowds. He patted around the alley, only perking to attention when Burns handed Robin a bagel. Kid promptly scurried up to the teen and placed both paws on his pant leg, eyes wide and pleading as he ripped off a chunk of the bread.

Robin chuckled, popping the piece of bread into his mouth. His eyes grew wide as the flavor exploded in his mouth, and he greedily took another piece.

When was the last time he had an actual meal, anyway? The last one he could remember was the day he left the hospital he had lunch, a meager meal of tomato soup and some stale bread.

His stomach gave a low growl as he stuffed the last of the bagel into his mouth. He could see Burns giving him an amused stare, and gave him a small glare in return.

"What?" he said, his voice muffled from half the bagel still stuffed into his mouth. Burns gave a small chuckle as he ripped a piece off his own breakfast, which was not even halfway gone.

"Haven't been on the streets long, have you?" Burns still looked amused as Robin swallowed the last of the bagel, Kid mewling in protest by his feet.

"What gave it away?" Robin answered sarcastically, raising an eyebrow as he leaned his back against the wall behind him and stuffing his hands in his pockets.

Burns merely shrugged innocently. "Well, normally those who have been on the street for a while know to savor our food, no matter how much we might want to devour it like you did." Robin narrowed his eyes playfully, a smirk tugging on his lips.

"Sorry, not used to going hungry. Last time it happened was when I was eight." It wasn't a lie, either. The food at the orphanage was so rancid he refused to eat, and then at the detention center it was even worse. That was the first and only time he had gone more than three days without food. Then came Alfred, who would skin him alive if he didn't at least eat half of the meal prepared for him.

Robin smiled at that, and his chest filled with a warm feeling he didn't realize he had even been missing.

"Then I'm afraid you're going to have to learn again." Burns said with a shrug, finishing off his bagel. "You can stay with me and I'll try to feed you as best I can, but it would be best if you learned how to fend for yourself, too." Burns paused, and continued in a softer voice. "Y'know, cause I might not always be there…"

Robin's smile was now directed at Burns.

"Don't worry, with you as my 'Street Life' teacher, I'm sure I'll be able to survive."

Burn's face broke out into a beaming smile, and he gave a deep laugh. "Can't say I won't try my damnedest to make sure you're well off."

The teens face then broke out into a mischevious smirk. "Alright then, O glorious teacher, can I ask my first question?" Burn's own face accepted the challenge, and Robin continued. "So, is being homeless like prison? Am I allowed to ask why people might be in the streets, or will they find a way to make my life miserable if I do?"

Burns burst out into laughter, and Robin's own mood lightened considerably at the banter they threw.

"I can say from experience that the question is…well, questionable. Just to be safe, though, I wouldn't risk that kind of talk with someone else."

Robin hummed in agreement, as he already knew what the answer was going to be. But there was that one question burning at the back of his mind, and he couldn't help but ask.

Hesitantly, he looked at Burns again, and he seemed to see his caution. The man sobered up, and looked at Robin patiently as he gathered his courage.

"Would you mind if…I asked you that question?" Burns gave a thoughtful look, before a mouthful smile tugged on his lips.

"First my wife passed, and then Leo was killed in a mugging. Never fought the guys who did it. I…well, with my son gone, I threw my own life away. Drugs, alcohol, you name it. Sucked up all my money, and…here we are now." There was a moment of silence as Robin soaked in all the information before Burns continued. "But as I said, not all of the homeless 'round here are as nice as I am. Unless you want a knife in your chest or bullet in the face, don't ask that question."

Robin nodded, but couldn't help but feel sad at the man's circumstances. It could have happened to anyone, really. It seemed Burns was dealt the short hand in life.

"What about you? What's your story, Robin?" Burns asked softly, and it took a moment for the teen to realize he hadn't said anything in response.

What exactly could he say? That he was from another dimension, and he was actually Batman's partner on a team with other superpowered teens?

Might as well give it a try. No harm, no foul.

"Would you ever believe me if I said I was from a different dimension and had no way of getting home?"

Burns stood straight faced for a moment, staring at Robin with a raised eyebrow, before bursting out laughing.

When he managed to calm himself, he gave Robin an amused smile, coming forward and patting him in the shoulder.

"If you didn't want to tell me, you could have just said so, I wouldn't mind. No need to make something up."

…yeah, make something up…

He wishes that's what he did. 

**Hey, another update. Just…I wouldn't say expect more updates kinda soon, but…maybe**

 **My best friend hates me for a reason she won't tell me**

 **My mom thinks I'll grow up to be a horrible human being**

 **And now my grades are kinda slipping**

 **…I've had a wonderful two weeks, and I've just had…an almost overwhelming urge to write, probably to escape for…at least a little bit**

 **And I am in no way saying this to get pity. Just like Robin, getting pity makes me feel…weak. I just don't have anybody else to rant to other than you guys.**

 **I know you don't care but…this is the only way I can just talk, and it's easier since you guys don't REALLY know me.**

 **Sorry, I'll go now, hope you enjoyed the chapter**

 **~Atatami**


	7. Chapter 6

**YJ* (All chapters to follow that have this in the beginning will follow in the Young Justice world)**

 **Well, some of you have been asking for a Batman/YJ chapter and it just so happens I planned to write them every sixth chapter...so your wishes have come true!**

 **I'm your fairy God mother now, I will do my best to make sure you enjoy this new chapter!**

Trickles of water were all that was heard. The lone, dark figure that sat hunched over a powered down super-computer was the only inhabitant. Everything was still, as even the bats that hung in the stalactites above seemed to feel the absence below them.

The only sound being emitted by the shadow draped over the dead keyboard was deep, almost strangled breathing. Gauntleted hands seemed to be plastered to its face, not having moved from the position in nearly three hours.

It was all wrong. The Batcave should never be this quiet. How in the world had he ever lived like this before? It was torture.

Bruce raked his right hand through his disheveled hair, the first movement in what seemed like an eternity. His eyes remained sealed shut, the hand moving to rest behind his neck where his cowl was pooled.

Nothing made sense anymore. It didn't seem important to eat. Or sleep. Or train. Or do anything, really, besides look into any lead he could find to locate his lost partner.

Alfred tried to get him to eat many times. At first, Bruce listened to his reasoning. But when Alfred started slipping sedatives into his coffee to get him to rest, it was decided that eating was not necessary in order to find Robin.

Many Leaguers tried to get involved. They would simply get in the way. The Team was especially persistent in trying to help, but a visit from Batman quickly silenced their requests.

Well, not all of them. Kid Flash seemed to be the most stubborn and rebellious of them all.

It had seemed that the teen was reluctant to obey a direct order that even his superiors followed: No other heroes in Gotham. Especially meta-humans.

Now it was an almost a regular occurance to find a black streak topped with red blazing through the streets of Gotham while Batman was on patrol. It had been a month, with the instruction to 'Keep out' very clearly stated (multiple times), yet he still found a wayward speedster in his city at night.

He had visited the Allen household after the third time, and thought he made it perfectly clear to the Flash to keep his partner on a tighter leash. Kid Flash was _getting in the way._

Yet, even though the elder speedster (fearfully) agreed to keep Wally contained at night, it still had yet to happen.

The hand on his face clenched into a fist, and he let out a grunt of frustration.

Why was it, that when he told children to stay put, they always disobeyed him? The Team had done it numerous times in the past, on almost all of their missions. Kid Flash was doing it now. And Robin...

The hand resting on his neck slammed down onto the console Bruce rested his elbows on, making a small crack appear on the surface from the pure strength behind it.

It wasn't anything new for Robin to be kidnapped. Both in uniform and out of it. But when out of uniform, there was always a ransom demand sooner or later, asking for an insane amount of money he would no way be able to produce in the amount of time given, and then Batman would come and save the 'civilian'.

There wasn't much difference in uniform, either. One of Gothams villains would nab Robin while on patrol, and, depending on the villain behind the scheme, Robin would either take care of it himself or Batman would track him and take whoever it was down.

No matter what happened, Batman was always going to be there to protect his bird.

That is, until he had no idea where he could have gone.

Alfred assured him that Dick was safe in bed when he was on patrol, and he had no reason to doubt him. Of course, the teen had been following his orders for a while at that point. And, knowing him, was itching to get back out on the field. But he shook off the doubt of him running off on his own and continued with patrol.

The only thing that tipped him off that something was wrong was Black Canary. Robin was supposed to arrive at the Mountain early in the morning, and when no one saw him when they awoke, they all assumed he was either not coming or was hiding somewhere. It was only when their scheduled training with Black Canary in the afternoon started, and the bird was still no where to be seen.

The Team scoured the Mountain first, then, when finding hide nor hair of him, Black Canary messaged the Batcave via holocomputer.

When she started asking where Robin was, Batmans heart seemed to stop beating. After patrol he had simply collapsed into bed for the few hours of rest he could manage, then trudged back down to the Batcave, as it was his day off from any business related issues.

Canary immediately saw that something was wrong, but before she could comment Bruce was thundering towards the elevator. He ignored Alfreds complaints about 'No Suits in the Manor' and ran towards Dick's room, only to find crumpled sheets and a empty bed. He remembered the utter fear that swamped his mind at the sight, and proceeded to run around the entire Manor shouting the teens name.

It yielded no results.

Bruce then sprinted down to the Batcave, Alfred following him, wanting to know 'What in the kings name is going on?'.

There was no sign of Dick in the Cave, either, and because his Robin uniform was still in its container he had no way of possibly tracking him.

From then on it was an endless cycle of patrol, thugs getting beaten to the ground, and harsh interrogation in order to find a lead. The news was commenting on Batman's darker and more brutal means as of late, and the now seemed to realize that his usual partner was not simply sitting at home.

Gordon was the one who asked the most questions about him. The man seemed genuinely worried for the vigilante, and caught on quicker to the lack of Robin.

It soon came to the point that Commisioner turned on the Bat signal not for a crime, but to see how Batman was doing. And every time it happened, Batman would not give an answer, simply melting into the shadows and continuing his patrol.

Calculated foot steps echoed from behind him, and Bruce slowly turned his head to glance at the man behind him.

"I would say, Sir, that this is about that time of night you are to begin patrol?" Alfred said, raising a speculative eyebrow. Bruce simply grunted and pushed out of his chair, standing before the black screen.

"Any leads on the young Master's whereabouts?" the Englishman continued, trying to make some sort of conversation with his ward.

Bruce turned back towards Alfred, taking in the pristine suit and the way he folding his hands politely behind him. To anyone else, it would seem as though the man was not troubled at all about Dick's disappearance. Bruce knew better. He could spot the way his shoulders tensed, and the slightly dishevelled hair that another might see as still a well combed head.

"No." Bruce answered tersley, pulling up his cowl to cover his eyes. The blood shot eyes that got barely two hours of sleep in two days. And only when he passed out from exhaustion.

Alfred nodded slightly as the man passed him, empathy showing clear in his eyes.

Batman was almost to the Batmobile (which Dick named...) when Alfred spoke again. "Master Bruce." was all he said, but the tone made Batman halt in his steps, just three steps away from the vehicle.

It was a tone he hadn't heard since he brought Dick into the business, when he was exclaiming his adversions to letting a child out onto the street of Gotham at night. It was cold, concrete, as if nothing would ever be able to break it's resolve.

And the League thought he was the most formidable Bat of them all.

Bruce turned halfway so he could see the man, and instead of seeing the glare he was expecting from that tone, he saw a mournful smile. And if he looked hard enough, maybe even the beginnings of tears welling in his eyes.

Bruce's eyes widened behind the cowl at the sight. Alfred never cried. The only time he had ever seen the man shed even a single tear was the night his parents were murdered.

It was then that it hit him. Bruce was so caught up in his own grief, he neglected to recognize how Alfred felt.

His ward and butler were no doubt close. In those first few months where he was stumbling about, trying to figure out how to comfort a grieving child, Alfred was there. He was the first to really connect with Dick, and even though Bruce grew a much stronger connection, Alfred was a very close second. The disappearance of the little bird must have hit the Englishman hard.

And Bruce had done nothing to console him. It was always Alfred doing that, and Bruce felt an immeasurable amount of respect for the man.

Even through his grief and sorrow, Alfred took care of him, nursing Bruce and his own grief so he could carry on with his own work in trying to get Dick back.

Alfred was the true hero that stood in this cave, not him.

"I have the strangest feeling you will find something this time, Sir. In fact, I am sure of it."

Bruce couldn't stop the miniscule smirk that landed on his face. Alfred optimism seemed to be contagious.

"I sure hope so." was all Bruce replied with as he jumped into the Batmobile and screeched out if the cave to yet another night of beating criminals to a pulp.

He only wished a certain bird was with him.

OoOoOoO

The night turned out to be, so far, pretty ordinary.

Most criminals had figured out that Batman was on a bit of a rampage, and made sure to stay out of his way. Only the truly stupid or criminaly insane were seen out on the streets anymore.

Which, in all aspects, should have brought about the Joker. He seemed to have an uncanny ability to show up when the crime rate was incredibly low, and then after his capture it would turn back to normal.

But, unusually, the Joker seemed to have also skipped town. It grated on something inside of Batman and made him incredibly suspicious.

It was the Joker, after all, who had first talked to Batman about the bounty. And he always knew that the psychopath had his heart set on ripping Robin away from him. Yet, it didn't add up. Dick seemed to have been taken away when he was a citizen, and that would be impossible unless the madman knew their identities. The Joker would have also been bragging to the entire city if he had Robin in his clutches.

Therefore, the Joker was quickly crossed off as a suspect.

But there came the problem. There seemed to be no one else that would want Dick Grayson, other than for ransom. So, Batman had to assume Dick really was taken as Robin, in some kind of spare uniform, and that increased the list of suspects immeasurably.

Before Batman's train of thought could continue, a ruckus could be heard from two alley's down. Quickly snapping to attention, Batman ran across the roofs until he was at the ledge, looking down onto the scene.

There was three men, all burly, wearing long sleeved leather jackets, cornering scraggly man in a business suit, counting a brief case to his chest. The victims eyes were wide with fear, flicking down to the other threes armed hands periodically.

The assulters all bore chains in their fists, with the one in the middle also sporting a metal crowbar. Batman immediately zeroed in on him as their leader, and tuned into the words being exchanged.

"L-look," the victim sputtered, attempting to back away. The three others simply took a step with him. "I don't want a-anything to do with this-this...'TT' Gang, or wh-whatever you're called."

The one in the middle, the leader, tossed the crowbar in his hand with a cruel smirk. "See, ya' don really hav'a choice." he snarled, his smirk growing as the other man cowled back once more in fear. "We need fundin', to keep the two projects livin', and you seem'ta have some money in ya' pockets."

Batman's eyes narrowed. Whatever he had just walked into, it was a bit bigger than it seemed to be. He automatically started to memorize the thugs appearance, one by one.

Leader: Short, blonde hair. Green eyes. About 5'7. Small scar near upper left corner of top lip.

Then came the leaders lackeys, who looked to be twins: Long, brown hair. Light blue eyes. About 5'5. Both held weapons with left hand.

"I have a sm-small business! Nothing more! Not n-nearly enough to support what you proposed!" the man in the suit quivered, his knuckles white and face pale.

"That don matta'. " the leader stated, and started prowling towards the man, who whimpers at the approach. "Boss wants money, he gets money, so we get paid."

The leader, in a supposedly intimidating gesture, cracked his neck. But while doing so, the lower side of neck became exposed from the collar of the jacket, and Batmans eyes widened, his breath halting.

Tattooed on the man's neck was the outline of a bird. A Robin.

And you can bet Batman didn't believe in coincidences.

 **Yep, that's it! That's what's going on in the YJ universe, while Robin's making friends on the street.**

 **Next chapter will go back to Robin, and I have a feeling I'm going to get yelled at for what will happen...I'm a bit scared (•ω•) You'll all know why when I get started on it...**

 **With that foreboding message, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Not much action, mostly just saying what's been going on with Batman.**

 **See Ya Later!**

 **~Atatami**


	8. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: This is rated T for a reason. Some bad and creepy stuff happen in this chapter. If you are easily triggered by mentions of pedophilia and attempted molestation, you have been warned.**

 **Oh, God. I've been...pretty scared to write and publish this chapter. I knew what needed to happen, and I had it in my head, but...it just...I had a hard time. Most of you will too, I think, based on your reviews.**

 **Anyway...here's the chapter...might not enjoy it in a SENSE, but...still hope you...are entertained while reading?**

 **Oh, and, also...BURNS WILL RETURN.**

Robin never realized how hard being homeless was on a person. Especially a kid.

Sure, he knew that they were nomads around cities, some tended to group together, and almost everyone who was had fallen on hard times. Whether that be addiction, bad luck in life, or you were raised that way, it was all in the 'hard times' category.

The only difference between an adult and a child that was homeless was opportunity. An adult could work hard to try and turn their life around. If they worked hard enough, they could get a job and earn money to sustain themselves. People took adults seriously.

Children, on the other hand, were stuck with what they got. A kid couldn't get a job (a legal one, without danger, anyway), and their only other option was an orphanage or foster care. That alone could be just as bad, if not worse than living on the streets.

You may have a roof over your head, and at least some kind of edible's, but that was about it. It was the same as on the street, where you either found your self allies or you learned how to fend for yourself.

Maybe it was different in other cities, where the orphanages held warmth and comfort and love. But not Gotham. It was too dark for that.

Speaking from experience, Robin could say that the homes were horrendous, and he was only in one for about a day before being moved to the Detention Center.

Street kids tended to prefer the streets.

Some joined gangs, which kept them fed and provided for them until they could think for themselves. But by then it was too late. The gang had corrupted them and there only purpose in life is to serve whoever their leader is.

The lone wolfs didn't have to worry about being dependent, but it also came with much more risk. Being alone makes you an easy target, especially if you're small. Which means you have to learn to either fight, or run. You also have to fend for yourself; get your own food, clothes, and shelter to call your own.

All of these factors to being homeless that Robin had never stopped to think about.

Currently, he was trying his hand in something almost all the homeless did; beg. With the help of Burns, he had found a plate- sized cardboard rectangle. Then, with a worn down marker, Robin had wrote the word 'Hungry' with an arrow off to the right, pointing to a tin can.

Burns had tried to tell him that it wouldn't do much good to beg, as the people of Gotham tended to ignore problems they were faced with like the plague. Robin took in his words, but ultimately ignored them.

He appreciated every thing Burns did. Without the gentle giant, he didn't think he would have gotten used to this new world as fast. Kid was the first to have become friends with him, but Burns held a special place, too. He showed compassion to a stranger, and Robin couldn't have been more grateful.

The man taught him about being homeless, the rights and wrongs, and how to survive while keeping a low profile. In a way, Burns was almost like that Uncle who always saw children as if they were his own.

But he couldn't stay with the man forever. Robin didn't need to burden the already struggling man with another mouth to feed, so as soon as he felt the time was right, Robin broke off from the man.

Burns instisted that it was fine, that he could stay a little bit longer to make sure he would be alright, but Robin refused.

Now, Robin was sitting on a street corner, hood pulled up high over his head to hide his scars. The sign they made together was sitting to his left, while the tin can was right in front of him. Kid sat curled up in his lap, purring contently in the cool February air as Robin pet him.

He was going for a look of innocence, like he was a scared kid who only had a cat for company. That he was all alone.

In reality, he really was all alone, but he needed to milk that fact a bit in order to get the people passing him to realize it.

But, obviously, people didn't seem to think he was worth pity. The people who didn't just ignore him wore scowls on their faces, muttering 'If you're so desperate for food, why do you have a cat?' and 'Stupid street rats, cluttering up the streets'.

So far, the only thing he had managed to collect in his can was a piece of gum, two nickels, and the butt of a cigarette.

Robin has been sitting for about five hours, and still had yet to get something sustainable.

He sighed in frustration, glaring at the mostly empty part of the tin can. Kid mewled disapprovingly as Robins fingers involuntarily curled into fists, and he forced himself to take a deep breath. His hands slowly unclenched from Kid's fur, and he carded his hands slowly this time.

"Sorry." he whispered, rubbing on the kittens ear that had a large gap taken out of it. Robin wondered what happened to him, and if it was the reason he was left all alone in that alley two days ago.

Some tragedy that gave him a scar, that would always be a reminder of what he could have done better. What he could have done to save who he cared about.

The rumbling of his stomach drove Robin out of his dark musings, and he groaned.

He really didn't want to steal food. Or money. Robin didn't want to steal anything. But, if he didn't get some money soon, he might have too, as he needs to keep his strength up.

It's not that it would be physically difficult. Even before Batman he had learned to know when people were distracted enough in order to pick pocket. In the circus, he had been known to steal loose items off of the other performers. It became something he was known for.

This was different. This time, he wouldn't be able to laugh it off as a joke, and give back what ever he 'stole'. He would be stealing for his own needs, and the though alone made Robin slightly nauseous.

He wouldn't be stealing for fun, of course. Anything he took would be what he needed to survive and nothing more. But if he could avoid it, Robin would prefer if he didn't steal anything at all.

Kid suddenly jerked in his grip, and a second later, a large clink could be heard, along with the ruffling of paper. Robin shook out of his thoughts and looked to his can, eyes widening.

In the previously useless can was now a ten dollar bill, along with two quarters. It was more than he had seen even in the cans of other passing homeless. And it meant he wouldn't have to be stealing anything today.

He looked up, smile beaming on his face, ready to thank whoever gave him the money, but was met with the many passing feet he had seen all day. Robin glanced to the sides, yet saw no one that gave him any different attention.

Kid squirmed out of his lap, and took a step towards the can. He tentatively sniffed the bill, eyes shining with curiosity. Then his eyes lit up, and he mewled happily as he spun in a circle and jumped back onto Robin, rubbing the top of his head under Robin's chin.

The teen felt a laugh bubbling to the surface, and gratefully let it out, hugging Kid to his chest.

He didn't know who had given him the money, but he was eternally grateful for it.

OoOoOoO

With the money Robin bought a five dollar hot dog for himself at a vendor, and a small pack of sardines that were two dollars for Kid at a gas station. He stashed the other three dollars and fifty cents in the pocket of his jeans, where he hoped it wouldn't fall out.

They both are their meals happily on a fire escape that looked out onto the street, his legs swinging between the railings. The few people that saw him gave him funny looks, but didn't waste their breaths on a weird kid. The people in this part of Gotham were too 'important' for that.

Which, was saying a lot about most of Gothams population, as he was currently in a middle class area of the city.

Robin finished his hot dog and gave a content sigh, leaning back into the staircase behind him. He glanced over at Kid, who was slurping at the juice at the bottom of the container. He smirked and rubbed the top of the kittens head affectionately. Kid shook his hand off and seemed to give the bird a glare for interrupting his meal.

"Wow, you're more like KF than I thought. You both hate getting your meals interrupted, too." Robin said, and cackled a little as the kitten immediately dived back into the container of sardine juice.

"You both also eat everything no one else wants." the teen muttered, raising an eyebrow when the kitten looked up to him with juice smeared all over his maw. Kids tongue darted out and started to lick up the smears, and as soon as his face was clean he trotted up to Robin and settled right next to his leg.

Robin's smirk softened and he leisurely caressed his soft fur. Looking out over the city, he almost felt like nothing had changed. That this was still his Gotham, his city, and he was simply taking a break from all the things going on.

The day was once again clear, making the sunset in front of him something to behold. The yellows, pinks and oranges all blended together to create a master piece, as if it was simply painted on a canvas.

Robin hadn't seen a sunset quite this beautiful since his circus days. The ones in Canada were the most memorable, and they looked much like the one before him did. Instead of being framed by woodlands and the sounds of nature, though, this was surrounded by building of solid brick, the sounds of the city being the backdrop.

Robin had to say he liked the city more, even if it wasn't his.

OoOoOoO

It was night now. And Robin was finding a problem. For the first two nights he had stayed with Burns, and he had a place camped out all to himself at night. Now that he was alone Robin didn't quite have that luxury.

He had contemplated staying on the roof of a building, but it seemed to risky. Even if he found a suitable place to sleep, let alone hide for the night, there was still the possibility of being found. Not just by Batman, but one of the villains, too, as some favored the rooftops just as much as the hero did.

Batman was a whole other problem. It had gone through Robins head many times to go to Bruce for help. The major problem with this idea was what he would say.

Robin doubted he could simply walk in and say, "Hey, Bruce! Look, I know you're Batman and I know almost everything about you because I'm from a different universe where you took me in as your ward and partner in crime fighting. Oh, and this homicidal clown called the Joker is also here from my world and is basically hellbent on killing me, and probably you as well. Would you please help me get home in one piece?"

That would go over well.

Getting Batman's help was out of the question for now, as well as the League. As much as he knew he could trust them, it didn't seem right to thrust this problem onto them while they had to deal with so many others.

The rooftops were not an option, but finding a suitable place to rest on the ground was even harder. Robin doubted he would find someone else like Burns who would be willing to share their space. So, he was on his own.

Robin trudged carefully through the alleyways, Kid right by his side, almost matching him step for step. He wasn't as close to The Narrows as he was before with Burns, but that didn't mean he would be able to walk freely without spotting a crime somewhere.

The overcast moon set an eerie glow to every thing around him, setting Robin a bit more on edge. The darkness was his greatest advantage, and while the glow casted shadows it also took most away.

Robin's breath faintly fogged in front of him, and he clutched his arms to his chest to try and keep warm. The sweat shirt was thick, but it didn't seem to have the right kind of protection against post-winter weather. His jeans were a little better, but they still didn't provide much heat, and the worn down sneakers he found weren't even worth mentioning.

Robin continued walking, but stopped dead in his tracks when he heard muffled voices in front of him. His breath caught in his throat, and Kid looked up at him in worry.

From the hushed tones, it must have been something illegal. A drug deal, perhaps. All of Robins instincts urged him forward to put some stop to it, but he just managed to hold himself back.

Robin squeezed his eyes shut and swallowed hard before spinning to go back the way he came. Every thing inside of him screamed in protest, telling him to turn back, but he shook his head minutely. Kid followed him, albeit s bit hesitantly.

Before Robin could make it six feet from where he had been standing, a deep chuckle from behind him made him freeze. His eyes snapped open, and he heard Kid growling beside him.

"What do we have here?" the baritone said, and he could hear the man clap his hands together. "Someone is out past their bedtime."

Slowly, Robin turned to the man behind him, his eyes set into a hard glare as his hands clenched into fists. What he saw made his jaw tense.

The man was of average height, but made up for it in muscle. It looked to be mostly from steroids, but the man held himself in a way that told Robin he knew how to at least somewhat use his muscle. He had a square face, with a scruffy salt and pepper beard that matched his wavy hair. His eyes were light, and there was a devious smirk on his lips. The man's shirt was plain white, but it had many yellow stains that Robin didn't want to know the origin of. He wore jeans, and Robin didn't fail to notice the gun securely strapped onto his belt.

The man laughed a throaty laugh, and took a step closer. "What, you mute or something? Can't talk, pretty boy? Although, you would be much prettier without that hood."

Robin's blood ran cold, and one glance down at Kid revealed his deep emerald eyes narrowed so much they were merely slivers of black in a pool of green. His hair stood on end, and his back was hunched when he moved himself protectfully in front of Robin.

The man glanced down at Kid, but his eyes immediately landed on Robin once more, roaming his body. Robin almost twitched, but refrained himself and only felt a sense of foreboding and disgust.

"I think you need to leave." the teen said in the iciest voice possible. The man seemed shocked for a moment, but the bravado act was put up even sooner.

"So, pretty boy does talk. Does he want to tell ole' Sam where his parents are?"

"None of your business." Robin smoothly replied, backing up a step.

He didn't want this to escalate into a fight. If it came to it, he would run, no matter how much it might bruise his pride. Robin couldn't risk his reputation being public knowledge, or even underground knowledge, as that would bring more villains.

'Sam' smirked wider, his eyes be coming predatory as they continue to ravage the birds body.

"Well, then they won't mind if I take care of their pretty boy for them, will they? I haven't been able to take care of a pretty boy for a long time." Sam licked his lips, and Robins barely concealed a shiver.

Kid snarled, and lunged forward at the man. Sam looked shocked for a moment, but quickly cried out as Kid jumped and latched his claws into his stomach. Kid scrambled up a bit more and bit down on his chest, elicting a cry out of Sam.

Robin simply watched with wide eyes and baited breath, feet cemented to the ground, as Kid attacked with a ferociousness he didn't know the kitten possessed.

Then all of it went wrong. Sam cussed and grabbed Kid by the neck, the kitten letting out a pained meowl before being flung off of the man and into the alley wall. Kid recovered quickly shaking off the collision.

But then Sam reached toward his belt. There was a click, and before Robin could fully process what was going to happen, an ear splitting bang filled the air, followed by a deafening silence.

Robin froze. Sam was scowling, slipping his gun back into his holster.

"Stupid cat."

The only thing Robin could process was blood. Too much of it. There was too much blood to be pouring out of the small kittens body. Too much.

The eyes that once glowed bright were dull, staring off at nothing. Everything that was once vibrant about the kitten was gone, replaced with a heating sheen.

Tears filled Robins eyes before he knew they were there, and he wasn't shaking. He knew _he wasn't shaking_. He _couldn't_ be. That wasn't what Robin _did_.

He heard footsteps coming towards him, but it was as if they were coming through a tunnel. They were dull, just like Kid was now.

Kid was only a cat. That's what he kept telling himself. He wasn't a person, nothing worth being grief stricken over. Nothing worth mourning.

But still Robin found himself with tears slipping down his face and feet planted to the ground.

Kid was the only one who stayed with him. The kitten found him, and he had every opportunity to leave, but he didn't. He stayed with Robin, and now he was dead because of him, too.

Why did the stupid cat have to take on his heroic qualities?

He felt hands grip his upper arms, and his back behind slammed into the brick wall, but his eyes were still finely locked onto Kids body. Nothing else in the world mattered except the little kittens corpse, and Robins overwhelming grief.

Hands were stroking his chest while a warm body pinned him in place, hot, alcohol tinged breath fanning over his face.

The world was a blur in the next few moments. His eyes were still glued to Kids body, but the warm body was gone and he found himself crumpling to the alley floor, a sob wracking his chest.

He distantly heard the sound of flesh pounding flesh and pained squeals, but his mind was too swarmed to care. All that mattered was Kid. Kid, who was now dead. Kid, who had tried to save him from a pedophile and died trying.

Kid, the only friend that had been able to stick bt his side.

And now he was gone. All his fault. All his _fault_. _All his fault_.

Another sob wrenched itself from inside, and the tears flowed freely down his face. He hasn't cried this hard since his parents died.

Yet another death that was his fault.

A black hand swam into his blurry vision, gripping the hood of his jacket and tugging to down. But he didn't care.

He continued his sobbing, and it was only when his vision was going dark that he felt the hand on his shoulder, and the voice that was speaking to him.

"You're alright, you need to calm down."

And then, everything faded to black.

 ***Hides under a pillow for the rest of the week***

 **Um...please don't kill me? Ha...ha...**

 **Uh, anyway, onto more...humourus, matters, I went to a softball game earlier this week and totally forgot sun screen, but only my left side was facing the sun so now only my left side is burnt and I kinda remind myself of Two-Face.**

 **Random, but...yep.**

 **~Atatami**


	9. Chapter 8

**Okay, there were three ways I could have continued this, which also meant three possible endings for the story that I had plotted down.**

 **The first one involved Robin's hero at the end of the previous chapter to be Batman, and the second one would have Robin's hero be Catwoman. Instead, I went with the third option, which is probably the most...unique.**

 **Nothing totally out-there and outlandish that would never be possible, but it is definitely a new way to take the story that I wasn't originally planning to happen, but it still works and will put some more interesting variables into the mix.**

 **And all this from how the original 'How to Lose a Bird' was supposed to be.**

The clouds in his head were reluctant to clear. Robin knew that he needed to wake up, that he was in some kind of danger, but what kind, he couldn't seem to remember.

His whole body felt numb, the only movement that managed to pass his muddled brain being the slight twitch of fingers. Robin's eyes darted beneath his eyelids, as if trying to physically clear the confusion.

With a groan the clouds started to disperse, and his thoughts started to form. He still couldn't remember what exactly led to his unconsciousness, but as his mind started to gain even more clarity, he noticed things that shouldn't have been there.

First, he seemed to be on a bed. A large bed, too. The mattress was fluffy, and with the muscle mass he lost from the weeks in the hospital and not being able to eat, Robin's body barely made an indent. The blankets that covered him were unreasonably soft as well, which also meant they were expensive.

So he was definitely not on the streets or some orphanage.

The second thing that Robin found odd was a barely recognizable whirring. It took him a moment, but he recognized it to be a camera somewhere in the room he was in.

Which also meant he was being monitored, complicating things even further.

If the camera had sound, the person who may or may not be monitoring him would know he was waking. And depending on who held him here, that could lead to very good or very bad things.

But as Robin sat motionless in the bed, trying to figure out where he was, one question nagged his now clear mind; How exactly had he ended up here?

He remembered feeling tired and slightly scared, along with a darkness that surrounded him. It was obvious that he had been looking for somewhere to sleep for the night, but he couldn't seem to remember what happened after that.

Robin's eyes snapped open, no longer caring if anyone knew he was awake, and his memories came rushing back.

Quickly sitting up, the teen fought against the tears that were forming, but a few still managed to roll down his cheeks, blurring his vision. His throat choked up, and a single dry sob escaped.

Kid was gone. That stupid little cat, the first real friend he made in this dimension, the one who stuck with him just because he seemed to enjoy his company, was gone. The closest thing he had ever had to an animal companion, ripped away from his hands by a sick, twisted man.

Robin wasn't new to the experience of loss, of course. Being as young as he is, he could be a considered an expert on it. That didn't mean it became any easier.

His shoulders shook with repressed sobs, and he tried to get control of himself. He was in an unidentified place, with no idea how he got here, or who took him. For all he knew, he could be on the other side of the planet.

Taking a few deep breaths, Robin managed to push Kid to the back of his mind, and tried to focus on what was in front of him. He would have time to grieve later.

Probably. If the person who took him didn't turn out to be some kind of criminal. Or even worse, the Joker managed to find him, and was luring him into a false sense of security, only to finish what he started as soon as Robin took a step out of the room.

Robin immediately shook his head at the idea. Joker may be smart, albeit crazy, but that simply wasn't his style.

Another memory seemed to pop into the forefront of his mind, that also disproved the Joker theory. He heard a voice before he blacked out, but it was a deep baritone, not the shrill tenor of the Joker.

A brief spark of hope that Batman saved him came to mind, but Robin diffused it quickly. It was very unlikely, and if it was Batman, he would have been dropped off at the police station, or taken to the Batcave. There was no way Bruce would allow a random kid into the Manor.

Not to mention the bed he was on seemed even more expensive than Bruce's own.

No matter who saved him from the pedophile, Robin needed to find out. And, in the off chance it was an actual hero, thank them. If not, Robin would most likely need to fight his way out.

Bracing himself for whatever or whoever he might encounter, Robin swung his legs out from under the silky covers and tentatively placed his bare feet on the floor. He found it was carpeted, which only made his job of trying to go unnoticed easier, even if he knew there was a camera.

Robin finally took a look around the room, and his eyes widened. It seemed to be the length of a mini-bus, and the width of a regular school bus, the ceiling high enough to have a chandelier hanging from it. The walls were a dark, navy blue, with light grey carpet. A metal door was in front of him, and he could only assumed that was his way out. The sheets he was previously laying on were a slightly lighter shade of blue, the king sized bed being placed in the far corner of the room from the door. It was sparcely furnished, the bed and a large, oak desk at the other corner of the room, and two doors he assumed to be a closet to his left. Robin briefly noted that there didn't seem to be any lights in the room, but his eyes widened even more when he saw the entire ceiling brighten as soon as he moved.

Whoever owned this place must have been loaded. Robin only hoped it was from hard work or inherited funds, and not from any criminal behavior. But, knowing his luck from the last month or so, it would have been obtained illegally.

Robin carefully stood up, scanning the room in full to try and spot the camera he heard earlier. He checked the ceiling corners first, but found nothing. The teen scoured the room, and finally he found the small device hiding in the desk, pointed straight at his bed.

The cameras design was sleek, made to look like a very small lamp. The only thing that would tip anyone off was the small, almost unnoticeable red dot in the center of the 'light bulb'.

Robin shot a menacing glare at the center of the camera before lunging off the bed and quickly walking towards the metal door parallel to the bed. As he cleared the space between the bed and door, he realized he was wearing new clothes as well.

His top was a long sleeved, form fitting black shirt, trimmed white along the collar and sleeves. It seemed a bit tight, but he could deal with it, as it was better than nothing at all. His pants were grey sweat pants, that also seemed a bit tight. In a slight moment of panic Robin wondered if this mysterious person changed his underwear too, but breathed an internal sigh of relief when he found them to be the same pair.

He reached the door, and placed a hand onto the cool surface. There was no keypad or door knob, and it didn't seem to be touch activated, either. It seemed as if it were simply a slab of metal in the wall.

Robin pressed harder, and almost fell forward when the door suddenly slid open. The triumphant smirk that threatened to break out soon fell as he realized his path was blocked.

At first, all he saw was the large, armoured chest, and the hope that it was Batman was kindled once again. But it quickly died, being replaced with dread as he continued to look up at the man in front of him.

As soon as he caught sight of the man's face, his breath hitched and he stumbled back, reflexively falling into a defense position.

Standing outside the door was _The Deathstroke._ Out of all the possible criminals that he thought may have held him hostage, he was _definitely not one of them._

He wasn't wearing his signature two-toned mask, but the short, cropped white hair, goatee and eye patch over his right eye was telling enough.

Technically, he wasn't even supposed to know Slade Wilson, AKA Deathstroke the Terminator, even existed. When Robin was eleven, he tested his hacking skills by infiltrating the Justice League Criminal Files, and stumbled upon his file in the 'Most Wanted' column, right below Lex Luther.

He read up on his file, and discovered just how deadly this man was. He almost managed to take down the entire Justice League single handed in the early days. If that didn't scream powerful, he didn't know what did.

Robin was almost always confident in his abilities, but he was not in optimal health. There was no way he could train while in the hospital, and it was a similar situation when on the streets. That didn't mean he was unfit in any way, but his figure and strength were definitely diminished. Not to mention the recent weight loss.

Even if Robin was as fit as he could possibly be, and had all the gadgets and adrenaline he could muster, he doubted he would be able to defeat Deathstroke. There was no way it would be possible.

The man seem to agree with him.

Deathstroke raised a white eyebrow and crossed his arms, the barest hint of a smirk on his lips as he studied Robin. It made the teen slightly uncomfortable, but he refused to show it, and instead glared defiantly up at the mercenary who was only standing two meters away.

Much too close for Robins liking.

"Adequate form, but you would hold up better against attack if your knees were bent more, and if your fists were slightly raised." he spoke, and this time a smirk really did appear on his lips, being framed by the snow white goatee.

Despite knowing that he shouldn't tempt the man who could most likely kill him in a single strike, a snarl etched itself on the teens face. _No one_ had the right to teach him how to fight except Batman and Black Canary. Especially not the mercenary.

"Thanks, now could you tell me exactly why I'm not dead yet?" the man seemed to be genuinely amused by the sarcastic remark, and it only made Robin scowl more.

"My dear boy, if I wanted you dead you would not have woken in my haunt. I would have left you in that alleyway for that creep to finish you off."

Robin started, and unnconsciously let his defensive position drop the slightest. "Wait, you _actually_ saved me from that guy? I thought you liked to kill people?"

Slades smirk turned to a glare, his lips twisting in a look of disgust. "Killing is in my profession, yes, but I do have some morals. Women and children, for example, I refuse to take contracts on, unless it is a rescue operation."

That was definitely not mentioned in his Justice League file. Of course, this was a different dimension, so the people were bound to be different. But from what Robin had read, Deathstroke seemed to be the last person that would suddenly adopt some morals.

A revelation struck Robin like lightning, and his defense position was back in full force, along with a suspicious glare. "Then why did you take me back to your base? I really doubt someone is concerned for my safety."

Deathstroke stared at him for a moment, his face blank, but then his head tilted in curiosity. "So, what I am hearing is that you don't have a certain connection to Superman, in any way?" Slade paused, and flashed a smirk when Robin's eyes widened. "Funny that he seems to be flying around all of Metropolis asking the criminals if they've seen a teen with a permanent smile, isn't it?"

Robin was in a state of shock. Clark had actually been looking for him? Even though the Man of Steel barely knew him? He didn't expect this Clark to care that much, as his would simply write it off as some teenager and go on with his life.

The bird realized he needed to learn quick not to assume anyone's actions based off of what he knew previously. Robin needed to look at every one as if they were a stranger, no matter how hard that may be.

Slade waved his hand in the air, and continued speaking, his cold eye never once leaving Robins face. "Naturally, anything the Blue Boy Scout had an interest in will eventually get back to Luthor. Which is exactly why he hired me to find you for a generous amount of money, and found you I have. And just in time, might I add."

Robin found himself feeling a bit guilty about being so quick to assume the worst. This man probably did save his life, after all.

The teen shook that out of his head immediately, and instead met the amused glint of the mercenary's silver eye with yet another cold glare.

"If you're expecting a thank you for the whole 'saving my life thing', you're wasting your time. And if you're getting paid to deliver me to Luthor, then why exactly did I not wake up in some cage or lab in Lexcorp?"

Everything about this seemed suspicious. Deathstroke in general was a criminal, but what he was saying seemed to be truthful. If Robin knew anything, though, it was to not trust a criminal. But what he was saying seemed accurate, only making Robin's mind more muddled.

Slade's face was filled with smug amusement as he answered. "As smart a man as Luthor thinks he is, he foolishly didn't specify a date by which he needed you to be delivered. I also acquired half of my payment up front, so even if I end up never giving you to him, I still come out of all this with a sizable chunk of cash being added to one of my bank accounts."

"That didn't exactly answer my question. Why haven't you given me to Luthor yet?"

The smirk turned to one of satisfaction at Robins words. "You see, I found a certain...fascination with you. And not just because of your unique features." Slade took a step into the room, letting the door slide shut behind him. Robin took a few more steps back to further their distance before he continued, right hand stroking his beard. "Even when unconscious I could sense something special about you. I am in tune with my instincts, and all of them said that I needed to study you further." Slade's eye became almost predatory as he clasped his hands behind his back. "And am I glad I did."

"So, I'm just some experiment to you?" Robin asked with a raised eyebrow. Slade merely snorted.

"No, not quite. I don't quite know myself. But I have learned that you seem to possess knowledge that most of the civilian population does not have. And at such a young age, as well."

Robin resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the age remark. "Cool, so you think I'm smarter than most people. You're gonna make me blush if you keep up the compliments." This made the man in front of him chuckle. He actually sounded amused, too.

"Not just smart, although I can tell you are highly intelligent. I'm talking about facts that most don't know, such as who I am without my mask. You seemed to know who I was as soon as you saw my face." Robin paled as Slade continued on. "You also knew that Lex Luthor isn't simply a business man, but something a bit more sinister. Tell me, how many civilians do you believe possess that knowledge?"

Robin cursed himself internally. Why didn't he think about what he was saying? Of course some random kid wouldn't know about Luthor or Deathstroke. He was foolish, and simply let his mouth run without the usual filter because of the unusual situation.

But that was not an excuse. Batman taught him better. _Bruce_ taught him better. And now he was in the claws of a deadly mercenary, no gadgets, no friends, no Justice League, no Team.

Once again, the realization that he was completely alone hit him, but instead of a simple slap that it seemed to be in that alley three days ago (was it three days? How long was he out?), this was like a speeding bullet. His mind froze, and as Robin looked up into the silvery gaze of the smirking mercenary, only one thought was able to penetrate the ice.

 _So not Asterous._

 **Hey, hope you enjoyed the chapter! I think I got Deathstroke's character right, but tell me if you guys have any suggestions if he seemed a bit OOC.**

 **The ending seemed a bit rushed, but I didn't want to cram too much into one chapter.**

 **Also, tell me if this story seems to be going too fast or slow. Sometimes I doubt myself, so feedback would be appreciated!**

 **~Atatami**

 **(P.S.- To any of you who read Changing Tides, sorry for the delay. Experiencing a bit of writers block with that story, so sorry bout' that.)**


	10. Chapter 9

Robin was on the fifth day in the Haunt. He learned that he had been unconcious for two, and two days had already gone by.

Even without the man outwardly stating it, Robin knew he would be stuck here for a while yet. After their little 'talk' when Robin had woken up, Slade laid some ground rules about his haunt.

1\. Do Not Disturb Slade If He Was In His Office

2\. Do Not Enter Slade's Room

3\. Do Not Forcibly Open Any Doors That Are Locked. They Are Locked For A Reason

4\. Food Will Be Available At 6 AM, 3 PM, And 9 PM.

That was it. Of course Robin tested Rule #3, but found that Slade's security was simply too advanced, and without his tools there would be no way to gain access to any of the locked rooms. He refused to test the other Rules, however.

The way Slade's eye darkened when he mentioned the first two sent ice racing down Robin's spine, and he didn't want to take any chances. As for Rule #4, it wasn't that he was scared to miss a meal, it happened often enough working with Batman, it was that he couldn't afford it. (Plus, he reluctantly had to admit that the meals Slade provided were delicious and healthy, even if they could never compete with Alfred's).

Robin was proud to say that the mercenary had yet to get any more information about him. The man admitted to taking a DNA sample for analysis, but coming up with nothing. Slade continued to ask questions, but they were at random times, when the man thought Robin was off his game. The teen honestly had to catch himself from spilling some sensitive information a few times over the past two days.

So far, the man only knew his name was Robin (which is somewhat true), he has knowledge that a child shouldn't, and he was trained.

That was what Robin was currently doing. Training. But he knew he had to be cautious. People like Deathstroke can pick out certain fighting styles and link them back to people. Luckily Robin made his own fighting style when he was ten, but there was a large amount of Batman's technique embedding in its core.

One good thing about Slade's rules was they said nothing about the expansive training facility. Robin had first come across it the day before, after yet another failed attempt to unlock a door. He had thought that it was another locked door and was about to try his luck, but to his suprise it opened to his touch. What he saw inside made his jaw drop.

The room had to be at least the size of a football field. The ceiling had to be fourty feet or higher, with rectangular, LED lights hanging from the rafters. In the middle of the room was a circular, black mat, similar to one used for wrestling, but this seemed thinner. The corner to his right held numerous machines that dealt with running and cardio. In the far right corner there was a multitude of wooden weapons, such as shirkens, bo staff's, ecrisma sticks, katana's, and even broadsword's. Also in that corner were several human dummies that had multiple punctures and dents in areas that would be fatal to a real person. In the far left corner there was weight lifting equipment of every kind. And finally, in the closer left corner, there was gently used acrobatic equipment, such as rings, parallel bars, and uneven bars.

If it weren't in the lair of a world renound mercenary, Robin would have been drooling at the sight of it all. Instead, he mentally marked where this room was and made his way to the Central Control Area, where the meals were always served.

The Central Control Area was very similar to the Batcave. In the center of it all stood a gigantic three-screened computer, along with a single chair placed in front of it. Robin quickly learned that Slade spent most of his time here, and avoided the area as much as possible.

There was also a lounge area in the corner, consisting of a single, black couch and a black reclining chair. Robin wasn't quite sure what it was doing there, as Slade didn't exactly scream 'social', but he chose not to question it as it gave him a place to sit and eat his meals.

The rest of the room was empty, giving the whole room a spacious feeling. One that always set Robin on edge, and always made him yearn to be out of that room as soon as possible.

The rest of the Haunt seemed to be much of the same. The sleek black paint that coated every wall, long hallways, and too many locked doors than he cared to count. Besides the training room and the Central Control Area, the only other room he found to be unlocked was his own and one leading to an expansive library. Even though he was curious what the library held, there was an entire training room he could make use of. Exactly like he was doing now.

Robin's face scrunched up in concentration as he held himself completely vertical on the top of the uneven bars. He felt the muscles in his arm quivering from the strain, as he had been holding the pose for about three minutes now. Not nearly as long as he used to.

Turns out the month in the hospital dwindled his muscles more than he thought. He was still stronger than most people his age, but definitely not as strong as he used to be, to his annoyance.

Finally his arms screamed at him to end the abuse, and he reluctantly did so, leaning his legs forward. He spun around the bar twice, just for fun, then on the third spin he let go at the top of his arc and executed three flips. As he decended further towards the ground, he tucked into himself and put his hands up. Landing on his hands he pushed himself into the air again, doing another flip that led into a simple cartwheel before planting both feet on the ground.

His breath was a bit uneven, but he didn't care. The feeling of finally being able to fly again, even just barely, was exhilarating. If there was one thing he couldn't live without, it would be the ability to defy gravity and soar through the air like he belonged.

He brushed back his sweat coated hair with chalky hands, not even realising the full blown grin of joy on his face. The grin disappeared as he heard slow clapping from behind him.

Whipping around, he turned and saw Slade leaning on the doorway, an unidentifiable expression adorning his face. He was wearing a tight black T-shirt with sweatpants, and Robin flushed a bit as he was only wearing black tights he had managed to find in his drawers.

"Very impressive." Slade stated as he stalked forward, Robin's form tensing with every step towards him. "I haven't seen anybody move like that since I was hired to take out a not-so-honest circus performer."

At the mention of a circus Robin's breath hitched. He realised too late that Slade caught it, his form coming to rest only two feet from Robin. His grey eye sparkled with achievement, and a smug smirk tugged at the man's lips.

"I believe I am correct in assuming you are from a circus, then?" Robin clenched his jaw along with his fists, before tersley nodding.

After almost five days with no slip ups, and now this? Robin wanted to slap himself for his mistake, knowing that Slade was now one step closer to unravelling his story. Whatever his story may be in this universe, as Robin doubted Slade would have 'Alternate Universe' as one of his theories.

That was something else he had previously given little thought to. Where exactly was the Richard Grayson of this Earth? He wasn't adopted by Bruce, Robin could figure that much out just by reading old newspapers. So where could he be?

For all he knew, this Earth's Richard was still living with the circus, and his family was safe and alive with him.

If that was the case, then this Earth already seemed like a slightly better one than his.

Robin was snapped out of his musing when Slade's calloused hand came to rest on his shoulder. He couldn't help but tense at the touch, and the spark in the mercenaries eye told him he enjoyed the reaction.

"So, my little circus bird, care to give me a full demonstration of your skills?"

Robin wrenched his shoulder out from the grip, eyes narrowed and mouth set into a deep frown from the name. It wasn't so much the name itself, as he has certainly been called worse things than 'Circus Bird'. The way Slade followed it was what set him most on edge.

"I'm not yours. You're nothing but a cold-blooded mercenary who _kidnapped_ me." he spat, and Robin's irritation grew as he saw Slade's lips turn upward even more.

"And here I thought we had gotten past that. Really, what's your life for a few days in captivity? It's not like you're my slave, and you will be allowed to leave. Eventually." the man's smirk grew, making Robin bristle even more.

"Can that eventually be in ten seconds?" Robin ground out, fists clenching.

That was another thing he had noticed. Slade seemed to know just the right buttons to push and tone to use to get him riled up. Even though they rarely innteracted face to face (and Robin would be a fool to think there wasn't cameras everywhere), every time they did Robin left the 'conversation' more uptight than when he entered. It didn't really matter what he said at this point, anything that came out of the man's mouth grated further on his nerves.

The only other person that had managed to do that was Wally, but only when they first met and Robin had to get used to hanging out with a kid even more energetic than him.

But with Wally that irritation faded within days. With Slade, it was persistent pain that he was getting tired of dealing with.

Slade let out a chuckle, his hands moving to clasp behind his back. His face was filled with amusement as he lifted a stark eyebrow.

"You really don't like me." he stated, and Robin couldn't help but to snort.

"How could you tell? I thought I covered it up so well." Robin's tone was laced with sarcasm. It was meant to irritate the man further, as that what always happened when he used the same tone with Batman, but instead Slade simply grinned wider.

"I'll admit, I don't think I'll ever tire of your wit." at that Robin's frown turned into a smirk, mischief being clear as he crossed his arms over his chest.

"Is that a challenge?" he proded, expecting Slade to drop the almost playful act and decline the offer. He was suprised when the man narrowed his eye, the same mischief that Robin radiated being thrown right back at him.

"I wouldn't dream of it. As much as I take pride in all of my skills, I'm afraid you might have an advantage in that field, as you are still a child, and most children have a natural gift for comebacks."

Robin felt his cheeks warm and before he could fully think about it, he bit out a "I'm fourteen!", before he realized what he said and claimed his mouth shut.

Slade's mischevious smirk turned into a pleased grin. "Fourteen, hm? You seem a bit small."

Robin glared at the man, and he berated himself for giving away even that small bit of information. It wasn't going to be much to go on, as this world was a year behind his own and even more so technologically and superhero speaking, but it was still information.

He was also tired of people making fun of his size. It didn't help that he was a sophomore in highschool already, and his height didn't help at all. Students did it, his team did it, the League did it, and so did villains.

"But being small has its advantages." Robin's eyes softened a bit in confusion. Did Slade just console him because he saw how upset he was? No, he didn't hear that right. He couldn't have. "When attacked the enemy will underestimate you, and you can gain the upper hand. It also makes you swifter and more agile than most of the brutes out there."

Robin sucked in a breath. That was almost the exact same thing Batman had said to him when he was upset that he couldn't get stronger when he was a kid. And that was Batman consoling him.

Slade was actually making him try to feel better. But why? He was his prisoner, why would a warder give advice to their prisoner?

"Why are you trying to make me feel better? It's just…weird." he found himself saying before his mouth could close. Slade's eye glimmered with something Robin couldn't quite make out, but it wasn't anything he had ever seen there before.

Slade moved to once again put a hand on his shoulder, and Robin winced when he felt himself flinch at the contact. Slade's hand squeezed, his now serious gaze locking onto Robin's own. He wasn't scared, per se, but this situation was so unorthodox that his mind and body didn't seem to know what to do.

Not just Slade showing what seemed to be compassion, either. The entire 'Alternate Earth' thing. Ever since he came here his senses seemed to be all out of whack.

Trusting a complete stranger in the dead of night, even if it turned out to be the lovable Burns? Not something he would ever even consider back home.

Breaking down in a disgusting alleyway on a random street in Gotham? Pathetic, and not something Batman nor the old Robin would approve of.

Freezing up when Kid got killed? The old Robin would have turned his nose at that, knowing that if he didn't fight something terrible would happen.

Everything he would have done seemed to have been thrown out a window, and then proceeded to be burned to ashes. What had seemed like the right thing to do in his world was the wrong thing to do in this one.

Robin felt that emptiness clawing at his heart again, and he barely caught himself from changing his breathing. He felt his eyes getting wet, and scrunched them close.

He really was pathetic, wasn't he? About to fall into another panic attack in front of his kidnapper, who was trying to _comfort_ him.

Maybe his world was even more messed up than he originally thought.

 **Well, that was…a chapter! I'm actually pretty proud of it, as it focused solely on Robin's view on Slade, what's changing, and his conflicted feelings about his situation.**

 **Things are only going to get even more messed up from here.**

 **~Atatami**


	11. Chapter 10

**Before this even starts, I NEED to give a shout out to _Katla1_ for their never-ending support of my works. They give constructive criticism that REALLY helps when writing, it's always in the back of my head, and it has helped me more times than I can count. Not just that, they are an all-round AMAZING person, who always gives positive support for everything I do. **

**Just know your always the first person that I look forward to seeing review, whether it's on things that I could improve or just seem a bit off character wise, or a simple 'Good Chapter'.**

 **Katla, you are an amazing, beautiful person, and now I am formally extending my love an gratitude for you. :)**

 **And thanks for all of you for sticking with me. Sorry this is REALLY late, but it hope you enjoy anyway!**

Robin forcibly swallowed the lump that formed in his throat, the fact that it was even there disgusting him. The dampness that he was sure was plainly visible in his eyes was even worse, and he clenched them shut before they could spill over.

The teen could practically feel Slade's eye boring into his face, his features solid as stone, trying to find the best way to approach the situation he found himself in.

It wasn't every day you had a random teenager breaking down in front of you, after all.

Robin felt the hand on his shoulder clench slightly, and despite who it belonged to, he clung to the anchor like a life line.

His mind was panicking, just like in the alleyway. Robin felt his hands shaking slightly, and clenched them shut in an attempt to stop them. It was futile, the shaking continuing, spreading to the entire length of his arms and then his entire chest.

His breath hitched before he realised what was happening, and was it just him or was it getting harder to breath? The air grew thick and his previous calm, controlled breathing turned into short, little gasps.

His arms came to wrap around his middle, his entire frame shaking now.

Robin knew what was happening, of course. He had panic attacks before, back in his own dimension. When things went wrong in their circus act. When nightmares grabbed him by the ankles and refused to let go. When everything just became too much.

Batman had taught him how to get past it. He could feel the memory trying to break through the haze of his mind, pushing against the panic.

The lump in his throat returned, and with it the memory evapororated completely. Robin's small gasps of air turned long and wavering, his lungs desperately trying to get more oxygen to his brain.

He barely registered the hand tightening even further on his bare shoulder before his knees collapsed on him. The hand stayed where it was, even as Robin folded in on himself.

His breathing increased, and he felt his head get lighter. His mind flitted back and forth, not knowing what to do. The neurons firing in his brain were going haywire.

One second Robin felt panicked; How would he ever get out of here he was stuck he would never see Bruce again or Alfred or Wally Artemis Kaldur Connor M'gann never see them again he was going to die-

Then anger; Why in the world did he have to get captured he was so STUPID and he should have just listen to Batman's orders like he was supposed to even though those rules were just as STUPID-

Sadness; Everyone would be wondering where he went if he was alive and they would grieve for him and Bruce would fall even deeper into that hole he had made for himself and maybe they would even have a funeral that would be nice they at least deserved that much-

Paranoia; What exactly happened to him would he have any permanent affects and where was the Joker he should have come to finish the job by now and why was Slade being so weird and why was no one acting like they should-

Wait. Slade. He was still there. The warm spot on his shoulder. Hand. That was a hand. That was his hand. He hadn't left, he was still there, and he had to pull himself together so he didn't look so weak in front of an ENEMY-

His breaths started to get deeper, and as more oxygen returned to Robin's brain he dully heard a noise in front of him.

A voice. Slade's voice. He was talking to him. The man's voice, the deep baritone that sounded so much like Bruce's in the haze of Robin's mind, peirced through the veil of thoughts and Robin desperately latched onto it.

"Robin, you need to breath." Slade stated, his voice taking on an uncharacteristic softness Robin would never expect a man like him to possess. "Calm down. Just breath."

Slowly, with the help of Slade's coaching, Robin found himself heaving in deep breaths, the torrent of thoughts steadying into a small stream. The hand on his shoulder carefully propped him up into a more upright position, and Robin risked opening his eyes a sliver.

Slade crouched in front of him, his other arm resting on his knee. His face was just as hard as before, but there was a gleam in the man's eye that Robin almost mistook for sympathy. And maybe even guilt.

Good. He deserved to feel guilty. It was his fault Robin even had a panic attack in the first place.

The sympathy, however, Robin couldn't help but dismiss as him reading it wrong. Why would Slade, a mercenary who killed people for a living, feel pity for him? A random kid that he decided to kidnap?

Everything in this world was so messed up.

His breathing now under control, Robin's arms lossened around his middle, and he ducked his head, now content on avoiding the man's gaze.

"Are you alright now, Robin?" he asked softly, Robin's cheeks going aflame as what had just happened fully caught up to him.

He was angry at himself, but all that was overshadowed by the pure embarrassment. He hadn't had a panic attack that bad since he was ten. Simply the loss of control was embarrassing enough, but to have it happen two times, in the same month, and one of those times to be in front of Slade, of all people?

Everything was falling apart. And it seemed that no matter how hard Robin tried to keep it glued together, the peices kept falling out. It was frustrating to no end, but he had no idea how to fix it.

He thought he had gotten past all of these confusing emotions a long time ago, but now it was coming back all over again. Robin's (semi) stable life was once again ripped away and he still didn't know how to properly handle it.

"Robin?" Slade prompted once again. Robin sniffed and brought up his right hand to wipe against the wet tears tracks he felt on his cheeks.

His hand brushed over the scars there, and he flinched, quickly bringing his hand back down.

"I'm fine, just...forget about that. " Robin mumbled, still refusing to look Slade in the eye. His cheeks were still tinted pink, and he didn't want to turn and decipher what the man was thinking.

"Robin." he said after a pause, a bit more forcefully. Robin felt a finger under his chin, and jerked his head away. When it came back, however, he gave a huff and allowed his head to be turned towards the man's, not seeing the point to resisting anymore.

But while he faced the mercenary, Robin's eyes still gazed down to his lap.

"Look at me." Slade ordered, but his voice was still soft. Robin kept his eyes down for a few more seconds, then slowly brought them up to the man's gaze.

"This is nothing to be ashamed of, Robin." Slade started, and Robin felt his cheeks get even more red. But before we could refute that, yes, this was definitely something to be ashamed of, Slade continued. "I know just from you're appearance that you have been through horrors that would ward away adults. And you're eyes tell an even more gruesome story."

Robin quickly darted his eyes away, a bit wary at the way Slade had just read him. He knew people could figure out a lot about a person just from their eyes, but it was still creepy.

"You are just a child, Robin." anger flared up in Robin, and his eyes went back to Slade's. The man's lips quirked up, his one eye crinkling in amusement. "And yes, fourteen is still only a child. But for being you're age, I can also see a great wealth of wisdom and potential in you, boy."

Robin's cheeks flamed once again at the compliment, not even caring who it was coming from anymore.

"You are entitled to have your moments. Do not think for even a second it is alright to build up a wall around you're emotions. No matter what anyone may have taught you."

The teens breath hitched at the last comment. Even if Slade had no idea who he was or who taught him, it felt as if that was a direct reference to Batman and his ways.

It was no secret that Batman had little to no emotions out on the field. It was what made him such a good superhero. To the outside world and most of their villains (with the exception of the Joker), Batman didn't let emotions cloud his views or judgements. It made him ruthless.

And, in a way, that way of thinking was passed on to Robin. It was not entirely intentional, as Batman was always determined to make sure he didn't end up exactly like him, but it had happened anyway. That is what happens when an impressionable kid spends so much time with someone.

Batman may have tried his best, but his way of dealing with stress did get passed on. It was only now that Robin fully realized how much.

"Do you understand?" Slade's voice interupted his thoughts, and with a small squeeze of his shoulder Robin nodded mutely.

"Good." was all the man said in response, and as if Slade only just realized what he was doing, he briskly stood up and turned away from Robin. "Dinner will be ready soon."

Robin stayed where he was on the floor, staring at the man's retreating back. Now that his mind was clear, he realized that this entire picture was even more crooked than before.

Why did Slade comfort him? The man could always be trying to manipulate his thoughts and actions by feigning kindness, but what Robin saw in his eyes was real. The pain, the sympathy that he saw couldn't be faked. It was clear that it was from experience and not for some con.

Everything was still skewed. Even after his breakdown, this whole situation just screamed wrong. Deathstroke wasn't supposed to be nice, homeless men shouldn't be that charitable in Gotham, Clark shouldn't have cared that much about some random kid, he shouldn't have the scars on his face, and the Joker definitely shouldn't have been here.

Suddenly, all Robin felt was anger. It overwhelmed all of his other emotions, and all he saw was red. He didn't know what was happening, why he felt like this, but he sure as hell wasn't going to question it at the moment.

Robin found himself standing rigid on his feet, glaring down Slade's retreating form. His knuckles were white in clenched fists, and he could feel his entire frame shaking in suppressed rage.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Robin found himself screaming. Slade abruptly stopped and whipped around to the teen. Instead of seeing the frustration Robin wanted to see on the man's face, he only saw slightly worried confusion.

"I'm afraid I don't know what you mean..." the man trailed. Robin stomped up to the man until they were barely a foot apart, harshly jabbing a finger into his chest.

"Why are you helping me?! Why do you even care?! You're the world's most feared mercenary, who could probably take on the entire Justice League single handed and have a chance of winning! You could have easily handed me over to Luthor to live out the rest of my life in solitude, so why didn't you?!" Robin panted, his face red and eyes ablaze. Slade simply gazed down at him in what looked like stunned silence, his one eye wide and eyebrows high on his forehead.

Robin hated it.

His right fist came up and punched Slade squarely in the chest, the man not even reacting. His fist stayed there, and Robin bowed his head, tightly screwing his eyes shut.

"Why is everything so messed up?! I thought I knew everything, I thought I finally had everything figured out, and then...everything gets messed up again, even more than last time, and..." he trailed off, his anger finally dying away, leaving way for the emptiness.

Robin felt numb. The rage was completely eradicated, now filled with a hollow pit. Everything mattered at that moment, yet nothing did.

"Robin..." Slade stated softly, and as Robin panted, regaining his breath, he felt those strong arms envelop his frame in a tight hug. His arms fell limp at his sides, and his eyes started to water against his will.

Slade was hugging him. Deathstroke wasn't supposed to have feelings. It didn't work that way.

But he did. Robin couldn't even faintly begin to dispute it any longer. And for some unknown reason, Slade cared for him. Even when he really didn't have any reason to.

"You remind me of my sons." the man bluntly stated, and Robins breath hitched. He didn't have any idea Slade had children. He certainly didn't have any in his own dimension.

But Robin wasn't in his dimension anymore, and everything he thought he knew didn't matter, did it?

"You have the same appearance of my eldest, and the emotions of my youngest. Both of which are lost to me now. And it's all my fault." Slade pulled away from him, but kept his hands on the teens shoulders. "I knew no greater pain than the day I lost the only lights in my life. I vowed I would never let that darkness claim another child like it did my own children." The man's eye gazed steady into Robin's own, filled with pain that the teen saw in his own eyes whenever he thought about what he lost. "I know that you do not trust me. In all honesty, I haven't given you any reason to. But I hope that I will be able to help you overcome the horrors that plague you, and keep you from the same fate my sons suffered."

Robin had no reason to believe the man's words. Slade even said it himself. But as he saw the pure, overwhelming hurt and pain in that icy eye, the emptiness in Robin started to fill with warmth.

Slade was a coldblooded mercenary on his world. He would kill anyone for a reasonable price, even children. His supiorior intellect gave him a massive advantage, but that intellect also made any moral he had vanish. Deathstroke only looked out for himself.

This Slade, however, was...different, as to be expected, but almost too different. He had morals, and it looked as if he stuck to them in a religious way. He refused to hurt women or children. The man was caring, and even had children at one point, and maybe even a wife.

Weirdly enough, under all the weapons and contracts, Deathstroke the Terminator was a decent man.

And if he truly cared about Robin, maybe he would even help him get home.

 **I...don't know what to think about this chapter. It's ALRIGHT, I guess...**

 **That should be the last of Robin having a full blown attack (at least for a LONG while), but his anxiety problem is far from over.**

 **And for those who may think Robin is being a little OOC, he has just been thrown into a world where everything is being twisted on its head, and even a kid superhero would have a really hard time adjusting. (especially with all that Robin's ALREADY been through in his home dimension...)**

 **That being said, there is also another explaination storywise that may be brushed upon briefly when we get closer to the end. Which is barely on the horizon yet.**

 **Oh boy.**

 **Well, hope you enjoyed the chapter anyway!**

 **~RockinThatRobin**


	12. Chapter 11

**Sorry about the long wait AGAIN, my friends are just really into Halloween (including me) and we basically take the whole month to plan and add school work plus extra curriculars on top of that and you don't get a lot of time to write. And when you DO get time, all you want to do is literally nothing.**

 **Anyway, hope you enjoy this longer-than-usual chapter!**

It felt good to train again. Training gave Robin something to do, to take his mind off of everything that plagued him in this new world. The burning that encompassed his entire body was familiar, and he knew that nothing would ever change that, at least.

Slade was also a pretty good sparring partner, as was being shown at the moment. And while Robin would never personally start being a mercenary, it was very interesting to learn from one. Slade seemed to know that Robin would never follow in his footsteps, too, which lifted a large weight off of the teens shoulders.

Teaching Robin new fighting techniques was only a part of Slade's tutelage. Ever since Robin (embarrassingly) broke down in front of the man those two weeks ago, Slade had started to teach him about different chemicals, weapons, and even some new computer software that didn't exist in Robin's own world.

One of the more useful tools he learned how to make was a Black Metsubushi Egg, a weapon primarily used by ninjas in the past. Slade explained that these ninjas would fill hollowed out eggs with blinding substances, whether that be pepper, glass, or even blood in some cases. It wasn't lethal, but they could be made very easily and weighed almost nothing.

Robin knew that once he parted ways with Slade, these items would become extremely useful as he was without his usual tools.

Yet, the idea of parting with Slade was one Robin struggled with. While he knew that Slade wanted him to stay at his Haunt, he also knew that it would be a very big risk to stay in one place for too long. Even staying at the hospital as long as he did was dangerous.

The Joker was unpredictable, insane, and extremely dangerous. That's what makes him so clever. And staying in one place, even if it was Deathstroke's hideout, would paint a target on his back.

But Slade was the only one who Robin could really connect with. Clark was a familiar face with no memories connected, and Burns was a friend, but not someone who could really help Robin even if he wanted to.

Slade, however, had resources. The man knows what Robin's life is like, and knows that he isn't just a regular teen (even if he doesn't know to what extent). It feels like he's known the mercenary all his life.

Robin hasn't found the right way to tell Slade he's from an alternate world, though. One where the Deathstroke he knows kills children without batting an eye.

Robin didn't have to tell him everything, of course, but why would the man ever believe him if he tried telling the truth? The truth still sounded insane to Robin, who was the one stuck in this mess.

But Robin made a vow shortly after his panic attack to tell Slade about his situation. If the man somehow believed him, or at the very least didn't kick him out onto the streets or give him to Luthor like he was supposed to do, then Slade was the best option for figuring out how to get home. And, if he agreed, maybe Slade could help Robin take down the Joker, too.

The teen was so engrossed in his thoughts that he made a sloppy right hook, leaving his side completely open. The man in front of him immediately took advantage, sending a fist straight into Robin's right side.

Another one of Slade's training methods; Never pull your punches.

Robin stumbled to the side, tripping over his own feet in a haste to recover and get his mind back to the spar. He managed to regain his balance, but not quick enough to dodge the foot heading straight for his legs. With a yelp the teen started plummeting backwards towards the mat, but pulled his hands behind his head at the last second.

Robin shifted his center of gravity, legs tucking in towards his chest, then pushed back with his arms. His legs went over his head, and before he knew it he was back on his feet facing the man once again.

"That was incredibly sloppy, Robin. Your focus was not on the fight at hand." Slade critiqued, raising a single, white eyebrow.

Robin only sighed, keeping his defense position. "Yeah, I know. Sorry."

There was a pause, and then Slade shifted out of his own offensive stance, standing straight with his arms crossed.

"I believe that's enough sparring for today. Obviously your mind is not all here, as you did not make any kind of snippy remark." Robin felt his ears redden at the comment, but simply crossed his arms with a huff. He noted with a bit of disgust that the red t-shirt he had been wearing was completely soaked, and even sweatpants were wet with sweat.

The room was silent for a moment. Robin heard Slade shift slightly, and glanced towards the man to see a calculating look being directed towards him. The teen countered it with a raised eyebrow of his own, and Slade cleared his throat.

"Would you mind telling me exactly what that small kind of yours was thinking about when it dragged us away from a previously entertaining sparring match?"

Robin gulped. He knew that there was no better time than this. Slade was asking, and Robin sure had enough information to tell him.

The teen opened his mouth, let a small choked sound escape, then closed it once again. He saw Slade narrow his eyes, but the man didn't say anything and was waiting patiently for Robin to continue.

Robin took a deep breath, mind supposedly made up, and opened his mouth to speak again.

He felt his palms sweating, which was unusual in itself. Robin usually only got this nervous around Alfred when the older man was confronting him. Not even when being reprimanded by Batman did he feel nerves such as this.

It was also trained into him. Robin had been learning from the very beginning how to not only physically beat your opponent, but mentally, too. The teen couldn't keep track of how many excersise's he had done over the years to make sure he kept a cool demeanour while out in the field.

Something was seriously wrong with him. Why was all the years of grueling mental training suddenly flying out the window? Was it just the man's presence that shook Robin up?

But he broke down in that alley, before he met Slade. What was going on?

Slade cleared his throat. "I believe you will catch flies if you leave your mouth open."

Robin's thought process cut off abruptly as he realized that, yes, he had been keeping his mouth open for at least twenty seconds. His mouth snapped shut with a click of teeth and the reddening of his ears.

Another uncanny gift that Slade had was finding a multitude of ways in which to continuously embarrass Robin.

The bird mentally shook his head, then brought his eyes back to Slade's. The man was still waiting for an answer, eyebrow raised expectantly.

No time to really think anymore.

"It's...complicated." Robin started, the anxiety trying to well up in his chest and make him shut his mouth. The teen simply grit his teeth and pushed it down as hard as he could.

Slade twirled his hand around, patiently waiting for Robin to continue.

Robin took another deep breath, opened his mouth, ready to finally tell someone what he had been through-

Then the lights abruptly shut off. Less than a second later orange lights dimly lit the room, and what sounded like a tornado siren echoed through the training room.

Robin's mind immediately focused on everything around him, and an unexplained rush of adrenaline surged through him. Slade looked the same way, figure tense as his eye narrowed as he scanned the room.

The man then snapped his head in Robin's direction, looking at him for a moment before turning.

"Follow me." Slade roughly called back, and Robin was quickly on his heels as they briskly walked out of the room.

The hallways were treated with the same shrill alarm and lights, casting shadows around every corner they took.

"What's happening?" Robin asked, more adrenaline pumping through him when the lights started flashing and Slade changed his pace to a jog.

"Something tripped the perimeter sensors." was Slade's short response as the two finally made it to the man's destination; the Central Control Area.

Robin stopped walking at that sentence as Slade continued to the three screen supercomputer. He sat at the edge of the black, throne-like chair and his fingers flew across the keyboard.

While Slade did that Robin's mind was reeling. All of this fuss was over someone tripping a perimeter sensor? This commotion could be something as simple as a woman walking a dog, and he made sure Slade knew how absurd this was.

Slade spared a glare in Robin's direction behind the chair before directing his eye back to the screen.

"If you must know, the alarm is only raised when the sensors pick up any anomalies that normal citizens certainly do not have. An example is right now, where it seems the Bat and his new friend made a decently large crater using an explosive. I don't believe any sane person would be walking around with an explosive."

Robin stopped breathing all together. Slade had just given him a boatload of information, whether the man knew it or not.

Batman was here. Bruce was here. Most likely close enough to communicate with.

And if Batman was here, then he must still be in Gotham. Slade really didn't move him out of the city, and Robin found himself slightly relieved. Even if this Gotham wasn't his own in any way, it was the familiarity that he craved.

The mercenary had also given him information that his Haunt was not simply in the middle of nowhere or underground. It was in a place that was close enough to still be a part of civilian life, yet still out of the way.

Based on the unoriginal mindset of most villains, Robin would guess he was either in an abandoned warehouse or a building in some kind of shipping yard. But based on the fact Robin couldn't smell anything that smelled like the ocean, his best bet was abandoned warehouse.

So very typical. And Deathstroke was supposed to be one of the smartest people alive?

Robin closed in on the mercenary on the chair, placing his left hand on the large backrest.

He couldn't help but be impressed by Slade's skills with technology. His hands were moving like blurs, and Slade's lone eye raked over the lines of code and information that was being relayed too fast for Robin's own eyes to keep track of.

Finally a screen popped up, showing the outside of several decrepit apartment buildings with another warehouse barely visible in the bottom right corner.

From the lighting of the video it looked to be around dusk, the sun casting a orange glow on everything. Then the camera switched angles, and everything seemed to stop around Robin.

The air was filled with smoke, some unfortunate people running away in terror as two figure shrouded in darkness traded blows.

Robin didn't need to see them clearly. He knew exactly who was fighting right at this moment, just outside of this building. And he also didn't need to see clearly to know one of them seemed to have an advantage over the other.

Robin would rather die than see the Joker kill the Batman of this world, just because of him.

"I don't believe I've seen this contender before..." Slade mumbled, trying on the computer to enhance the video feed. The camera zoomed in on Batman and Joker, taking a moment to clear the image.

Now that they were closer, there was no mistaking it. The Joker was merciless, and while Batman was equally so, he had no idea how to combat the seemingly random, sporadic attacks the Joker was known for. There was a noticeable limp to his left side, and he was favouring his right shoulder. The closer image also revealed the large bruise covering the lower right half of his visible face, and the half cut ear of his cowl.

It had taken Robin's Batman at least a year to be able to fight the Joker effectively, and that Batman had years more experience than this one.

If Robin sat there and did nothing, Batman wasn't going to live through this encounter.

The teen had been staring so intently at the screen, absorbing all the information that he physically jumped when he found Slade's cold gaze on him.

Robin stared back, confusion surely written on his face at the freezing stare being directed at him. Reflexively he reached a hand up to his face to see if there was anything there, when his hand brushed across his cheek at it all clicked.

Joker. The scars on his face. Only an idiot wouldn't connect the dots.

The teen felt his face get a shade paler, but rationalized that his scars were only a small part of the story. A part that he would be keeping with him for the rest of his life to remind him of this experience, unfortunately.

"Well..." he started off, eyes darted back to the video to make sure Batman was still fighting. "Now you know where I got these scars..."

Slade didn't react, simply staring at Robin's face, eyes continuously darted back down to his scars. Robin was beginning to feel uncomfortable when the audio suddenly came to life on the camera.

The sound of distant screams, police sirens, ambulence sirens, fire trucks melded together with the sound of the fire blazing next to the battling duo.

The laughter, however, stood out stark against it all. It was insane, grating, and seemed to keep going to matter what was happening on screen. Even Slade looked uneasy about the cackles that now rang through the speakers.

The laugh brought Robin back to that derelict room, the Joker standing over him, Robin's own blood on his gloves. His manic, bloodshot eyes that bore down onto his trembling form as he brought up yet another leg to bring crashing down onto his chest with a painful crack-

Robin sucked in a breath and shook his head, steadying his shaking limbs to look back at the video. He gasped as he witnessed the Joker nearly hit Batman with one of his throwing knives, instead only clipping the side of his cowl.

"I have to get out there." the teen found himself saying, taking his eyes off of the live feed to once more look at Slade. The man glanced at the screen, and then back to Robin.

Robin knew he must have looked desperate, and maybe a little panicked. By the way Slade's features softened ever so slightly he might have even let some of his fear through the mask he made.

All that Robin knew was that he needed to get out there. As of now he was the leading expert in fighting the Joker, and Batman was still losing. Even if Robin wasn't in his best shape he could still distract and buy time for Batman to call the League if he found it necessary.

Whether Slade agreed to let him go was the question. In all honesty, even if Slade refused to let him go, Robin would fight tooth and nail to get out of this Haunt. That didn't mean he wanted to leave, but if he didn't do something Batman could easily die, and it would be yet another tally to add to the growing chart.

"I don't believe that would be a wise idea." Slade said softly.

"Slade, you don't understand. I have to go out there, or Batman's going to die and I can't...I can't let that happen to him..." Robin whispered, hoping the plea wouldn't fall on deaf ears. This would go much smoother if he didn't have to fight Slade (and probably lose; He had gotten better, but not that much better).

There was moment where Robin could see the gears turning in Slade's mind, going through all possibilities and outcomes and reasons that could come out of this situation. It all stopped when a spark entered his eye, and Slade gave out a soft sigh.

"I cannot believe I am about to do this, but I don't think I have much of a choice if I wish to preserve my sanity."

With no other words, Slade stood from his chair and slipped around the back of the computer. Robin waiting with baited breath as Slade came back around, a black belt, ecrisma sticks, a pair of armoured, black spandex pants and a domino mask in his hands.

"I keep these for emergencies. The belt will be big, but you can wear it as a sash if you need to. The mask is adhesive, so there should be no problems there. As for the pants you may cut them as you please." Slade shoved the materials into Robin's arms, and he clutched it to his chest.

Robin looked up with wide eyes as Slade started explaining the belt. "The front right pocket contains flash bangs, and the front left pocket contains non-lethal throwing discs, about 12 if I remember correctly. The right side pocket contains 5 throwing knives, the left side sedatives along with a small rebreather. The right back pocket holds the small explosives and the left a mini first aid kit, if you desperately need it."

Robin was speechless as Slade went back to the computer. He didn't sit, but he stood with his arms behind his back, simply watching the footage.

The teen looked down at all he had been given, and didn't hesitate to put on the mask. It was almost an exact copy of his old one, the only difference being the small, sharps curves at the edges.

There was really no need for it. Everyone would know who he was without it because of his scars. The mask simply brought him a feeling of security, and made Robin whole again as his most expressive feature was covered.

Next was the pants, and they were indeed comically big on him. He pulled them up as far as they would go on his chest, and then cut them at about his navel. They were a bit loose, but they would stay up during all of his acrobatics.

The belt he managed to wrap around himself two times and was able to secure the latch easily. It was snug on his waist and the weight was another comfort Robin didn't know he missed.

Robin looked back at Slade to see him still watching the screen. The teens adrenaline spiked when he saw Batman being kicked to the ground. The Bat got up quickly, but his movements were lethargic. He needed help and fast.

Robin opened his mouth to ask where to go, but Slade beat him to it. "Left down the hall, two rights, another left, third door on your right."

Everything in Robin's body wanted to start sprinting in that exact direction, but he didn't get even two steps before he was turning back to Slade.

He owed this man his life. That was something that he might not be able to repay if he left now. There was a very good chance that once he stepped out of this Haunt, Robin would never see the man again.

"Thank you, Slade. For...for everything, really." Robin said, and Slade spared him a glance before he turned back to the screen with a curt nod.

The cold attitude sent a bit of a pang through Robin's chest, but he knew it was for the best that they cut all ties. It was easier this way.

But as Robin got to the threshold of the doorway, he stopped. A questioned burned in his mind, and he would regret it if he didn't ask now.

"Why are you letting me go? I thought that..." Robin couldn't finish the sentence, but Slade seemed to get what he wanted to say.

Without looking away from the screen, Slade answered him. "I cannot keep you here forever. It is not possible. And I can tell that this is something you need to do. Something you need to resolve by yourself. No one can help you, or else you will not feel the satisfaction you are looking for."

It was said so simply, so matter of fact, that Robin was taken off guard.

He would never get over how accurately Slade could read people. And he want wrong this time, either.

With a smirk, Robin crossed the doorway. "Wish me luck, hope I don't die."

"Do not be ridiculous. The Bat won't let an 'innocent' die. And neither will I, if it comes to that."

"Don't worry, it won't! I can take him!"

Hopefully.


	13. Chapter 12

***YJ***

 **I'm learning more things about birds writing this story than I ever did in biology.**

Terrance Gregory, born in 1979, dropped out of high school, multiple DUI's and five arrests; two for assault and three for petty theft. Overall, he was the typical thug that Batman brought to justice almost every dreary night in Gotham.

But this one had a stark contrast. He noticed it in the alley, and after beating the answers out of the man, it became clearer.

The man was involved with Robin's disappearance. And, subsequently, the Jokers as well.

Admmitedly, the man was a bit suprised to hear his arch-enemy's name. After the night he broke out of Arkham Batman didn't think twice about the Joker. At the very least the Bat had an idea of when the madman may attack again, but this time he was caught unawares, too caught up in his mission to protect Robin.

A mission that failed him miserably.

Nonetheless, he should have paid more attention to the usual crime in the city. Batman may have noticed the clowns absence sooner if he did.

According to a weeping Terrance, he was drafted to be an underling in what was called the TT Gang on the streets. To those actually in the gang, it was much more common to be called the True Thrushes.

True Thrushes, also known as the specific genus that houses the American Robin in the animal kingdom.

The Robin tattoo on Terrance's neck was the final nail in the coffin. They were all knocked unconscious and left in the alley for the GPD to handle.

But that was all he was able to wring out of the piece of scum. He wasn't high ranking enough to know the specific location of where Robin or the Joker were being kept, nor what was happening to them.

It was frustrating, but now he at least had a lead. Now it was only a matter of following it to see where it would go.

The problem with this was Batman was not sure where to start his search for information.

He could always keep patrolling and try to wring something out of more criminals. The flaw was that if this gang was a tight-lipped secret, then he would likely keep getting the same information he already had, and would need to find a higher ranking member. It would be too time consuming for the amount of information it would produce.

Another option was Cobblepott, but he was always tricky with his information. Not a reliable source, and Batman would have the same chance of walking into an ambush as he would findimg Robin.

The only other choice was to research this gang on one of the computers. And in order to get the information he would need, there was going to be firewalls he would have to break through. Which would take time.

He was proficient in computers and codes, and could surpass any normal computer programmer, but hacking was Robins expertise.

Batman let out a growl, staring down at the city from the top of Wayne Industries. There were simply no great options, and all of them were time consuming. Which could mean Robin was one second closer to his demise.

The Bats cape fluttered in the wind as his fists clenched at his sides.

Why couldn't he just trust Robins abilities? Batman put the teen on house arrest for Robins own protection, because he doubted the youngers skills. But Batman knew full well that Robin would be safe with him, and with his team (as much as he was loath to admit it).

This entire situation was his fault. If he trusted what he taught to Robin, none of this would have happened. No one would have cashed that bounty, because Batman or Young Justice would have been there to watch Robin's back.

Instead he acted like the 'responsible' parent, but forgot to keep in mind exactly who his child was. There was no way to cage such a free spirit.

But Batman was blinded by what he thought was right. And in the end that got Robin kidnapped by an organization he knew nothing about.

But pouting on this roof wouldn't accomplish anything, would it?

Batman straightened his back, pushed away the fatigue from almost two days of no sleep, and grabbed his grappling hook.

He jumped off the building, free-falling until he shot the hook and it connected, pulling taunt.

Batman glided to a smaller building, and began his journey back to the Batmoblile. He had work to do.

OoOoOoO

"My, you are back early, Sir." Alfred exclaimed from his spot across the cave. He held a bottle of cleaning wash in one hand and a rag in the other, standing in front of the row of various uniforms throughout the years.

Batman grunted as he vaulted out of the car and briskly stalked towards the computer. He lowered himself into the chair, and the monitor came to life with a push of a button.

"Would you mind elaborating on why-"

"I found something." Bruce interrupted, sliding his cowl off his face to pool around his neck.

He heard Alfreds light footsteps come to a stop beside him, and managed a glance to take in the elder man's inquisitive (and slightly hopeful) expression.

"Does this information relate to Master Dick's disappearance?"

Bruce took a breath and looked fully at the man. "Yes, it does. We've finally found a lead."

Alfred's eyes lit up, and he looked towards the screen as Bruce started to type once again. Bruce saw the Englishman set down his bottle and rag on the console to clasp his hands behind his back, never once taking his eyes off what he was doing.

It was once again that Bruce was thrust into the realization that he was not the only one who wanted Dick to return safely. He had an entire team worried about him, along with all the Leaguers. Even Catwoman expressed her slight worry when she staged a robbery to get Batman's attention.

The teen-as both Dick Grayson and Robin-had touched so many. Which is all the more of a reason to get him back, and soon. Everyone was counting on Batman to bring the bird back, and he would not dissapoint.

Bruce was finally able to reach the dark web, and started his search with a simple mention of the True Thrushes.

"True Thrushes, Master Bruce?" Alfred inquired.

"It's the name of the gang that kidnapped Robin. Also the name of the genus of animal the American Robin belongs to. They are also responsible for the Jokers disappearance."

He could practically see the elders incredulous expression as he began to speak. "I beg your pardon? This group of people managed to capture that madman? How ever did they manage that?"

Bruce shook his head, not being able to figure out that bit himself, either. "I'm not sure, but it's all the more reason not to under estimate them."

He continued to sift through all the information popping up on the screen while Alfred digested the information.

So far, all he managed to find were websites leading him to…questionable content related to birds and, in some cases, content related to his partner. It at least showed he was on the right track.

"Is that everything we know?" Alfred asked, breaking the silence that had settled over the room.

"At the moment, yes. But it's a lead, Alfred. It's more than we knew this morning, and it is sure to lead us in the right direction." Bruce affirmed, feeling the determination and confidence he lost after an entire month of nothing.

"Right you are, Master Bruce." the elder softly said, and let Bruce continue in his search.

OoOoOoO

It took four hours to find something. In that time, Alfred had retreated upstairs to rest, with the orders for Bruce to get some sleep as well.

Of course, the man was reluctant to head that request. He was getting so close to finding more clues to Robins whereabouts, and he couldn't stop to rest. When he passes out from exhaustion will be the time he allows for rest.

For now, he was gathering information. And he finally found something useful.

It was the auction of highly experimental biochemicals. They were labelled as hallucinogenic, and highly likely to cause neurological damage. The auctioneer even bragged about the product leaving their two experiments in a coma-like state after having multiple seizures.

The chemicals were sold for 850,000 dollars to someone named Accipiter. Just like the genus of hawks that are the American Robins primary predator.

If this was not a clear sign, then Bruce did not know what was.

He attempted to get into the conversation that was held after the auction was over between the auctioneer and Accipiter, but there was a massive firewall in the way.

It was nothing that Bruce could not get through in time, but there were two problems, and he could only fix one.

The first problem was his mediocre hacking skills. They would get the job done, but they would also be a liability. Especially since he could not get into the software that Robin used on missions to effortlessly get into files.

The second problem was the speed at which it would get done using the Batcomputer. It was a top of the line piece of technology, and Bruce would never get rid of it, but compared to the technology at the Watchtower and the Mountain it was a dinosaur.

Still got the job done, but compared to the other machines, it was done much slower.

The problem was solvable. Bruce just needed to go the either the Watchtower or the Mountain to continue his work. But that was a problem in itself.

Batman had barely been seen out of Gotham in a month, the only time being to yell at Barry to keep his kid inside the house. He had not been to the Watchtower in all of that time, and if he went now there were sure to be questions.

Questions that he did not want to answer.

He needed to get this done so he could be closer to finding Robin, but the League would only slow him down. Especially Superman.

They cared for Robin, and would want to help in anyway they could. But they wouldn't understand that helping would mean leaving Batman alone.

Which left the Mountain as his only option. Batman sighed as he transferred what he had onto a hard drive that he slid into his belt. He powered down the monitor and slid out of the chair to stalk over to the zeta tube.

Batman checked the time, and was relieved to find that it was only four in the morning. That would mean every teen that stayed at the Mountain overnight should be asleep. He could get through the firewall and get back to the Batcave. None of the teens would even know he had paid them a visit.

It was a simple mission. Easy to complete.

Whoever led the True Thrushes, whoever took away Batmans Robin, whoever harmed Robin in any way, would pay the price.

That, Batman could guarantee. 

**Okay, I'll be perfectly honest: this chapter is pretty boring. And short. But, it is necessary to set up the next chapter and to see what Batman is doing to unravel the mystery.**

 **I hope it was somewhat enjoyable! There will be so much more action and drama in the next chapter.**

 **Get ready for: Batman Vs. Joker Vs. Robin!**

 **(Sh*ts about to get real…)**

 **~Atatami**


	14. Chapter 13

**Oh Boy. Just...oh boy.**

In all honesty, Robin should have come up with a plan before suddenly bursting onto the scene of an all out murder mission. He wasn't thinking about what could happen; all he could see was Batman, dead on the ground with a victorious Joker standing over him.

It was relatively simple to get out of the Haunt. The sun shone bright in his eyes, but the mask quickly filtered out the glare. With everything now in clear focus, all he had to do was follow the trail of blood, fire, and cackles of malicious laughter.

Just a normal day in the life of Robin, the Boy Wonder.

Robin sprinted to the nearest fire escape and launched himself towards the roof. It would be the fastest way to get to the scene, not having to dodge any possible debris.

When at the top, the teen set out at a dead sprint towards the largest section of smoke he could see. Luckily Slade seemed to have picked a more residential area to set up his Haunt, otherwise Robin would have been screwed without a grappling hook.

Finally arriving at his destination, he peered over the side of the roof and felt his blood run cold.

The Joker stood tall, the only signs of injury the streak of blood running down his gangly face and crumpled purple suit. His sadistic smile was almost as wide as he had ever seen it.

Batman sat crumpled against a building in front of the madman, clutching his right shoulder as blood leaked freely from the wound. His teeth were gritted in pain, and despite his many attempts to stand, the best defense the bat could manage was a scathing glare at his opponent.

The Joker cackled, and started leisurely strutting towards the fallen hero. He lazily twisted a knife before letting it fall still when he was only three feet away from Batman.

"It seems the Dark Knight really can fall!" his expression manic, he wiped the blade of his knife along with edges of his suit jacket. "And although this isn't my ideal dream-those include much more flair than one measly Explosion-I'm going to enjoy bringing an end to the Batclan."

Robin was a building away, across the street, but couldn't stand watching any longer. He hoped that Batman could have found some hidden reserve of strength like he has so often in the past, but it seems he exhausted himself on this fight.

This world's Batman was in very serious danger, and it was up to Robin to save him (if he didn't, Robin might as well just give into the Joker).

In a second Robin held three flash bangs, launching them towards the duo as he catapulted off the roof and into the street. He hit the asphalt in a roll, and could only glimpse Batman's slightly suprised eyes before a bright strobe light erupted.

The lens' in the teens mask quickly adjusted to the sudden change in light, effectively blocking out the effects. Robin saw the Joker stumble back in shock, frantically trying to gain his bearings.

Robin couldn't help but grin as the adrenaline raced through him. This feeling, the feeling of imminent danger, was his addiction. He felt it at the circus, and found it again in the realm of crime fighting. It was familiar.

This Joker was familiar, as well. Robin knew almost all of the man's tricks, and this time, ableit being faintly weaker, he was prepared. He had a new will to fight. If not for himself, then the life of this universes Batman. This universes Bruce.

It was only with stealth in mind that he didn't use his signature cackle while advancing towards the madman. The Joker was still blinded, confusion making his moves panicked.

Finally close enough to strike, Robin dropped onto his hands and knocked out the man's feet. He let out a small yelp before crashing to the ground, knife skidding away from his outstretched hand. Before he could move Robin was on him, straddling his chest in an effort to immobilize him.

With the Joker now under him and struggling with new life, Robin reached for his belt to pull out the handcuffs that were always attached to it. It was too late that he remember he wasn't wearing his belt, but one of Slade's.

He sucked in a startled breath, and that momentary lapse in concentration was enough for the Joker to bodily throw Robin off.

The teen landed with a grunt. He moved to get back to his feet, but was stopped as the madman launched himself in Robin's direction with a short yell.

They clashed together, a grapple of limbs pushing, elbowing, and scratching as either one tried to get the advantage. And while Robin prided himself with his skill in combat and acrobatic, his weight can be a disadvantage.

Especially when going against an adult, psychopathic clown.

It didn't take long before the Joker had reversed their positions, legs straddling Robin's stomach and pining his legs while blindly trying to wrestle the teens arms to the ground.

Robin grunted as a boney elbow dug into his lower ribs, trying to reach the belt for any kind of weapon. Preferably the knives, but anything would do as long as it distracted the now giggling man on top of him.

The Joker's sight, however, was sleeping starting to improve. And when he caught sight of the mask and scars, his manic grin returned with an earsplitting cackle.

"Now this is-umf!-what I call a p-ack!-party!" the Joker managed to say between their struggles. With his sight now fully restored he had no trouble grabbing the teens slender wrists and digging them into the pavement beside his head.

Robin winced at the tiny pebbles grinding into his skin, then turned a glare to the Joker. The teen expected him to look a lot worse than he did. Up close, Robin could tell his normally neon green hair was dulled, and the white make-up was slightly off colour. Almost ashy, really. But the sadistic gleam in his eye and the yellowed, crooked smile was exactly the same as before.

Before the Joker could say anything more Robin renewed his struggles, thrashing with all of his might to dislodge the clown. The hands on his wrists tightend and his face came closer.

"Oh, what's the matter pumpkin? It feels as though we haven't seen each other in ages! You kids these days and your lack of manners." he tutted. Robin growled lowly, momentarily stopping his struggles to gather spit and lobbed it at the man's face.

"Screw you!" The Joker scowled, rubbing the spot on his cheek before grinding his wrists down once again.

Robin hissed as he felt the scratches get deeper, blood starting to slowly ooze. The man cackled, his whole body engulfed in laughter. It died slowly, the mans whole body tensing as he leaned down even further.

He stopped right by Robin's ear, the teen still trying to dislodge him. The Joker giggled softly.

"You really look like your Uncle Jay now, Robby. Maybe we should continue where we were so rudely interrupted last time."

The whisper sent chills down Robins spine, and a new burst of adrenaline pumped throught him at the thought of what the Joker might do to him. The teen knew that there would be no way to survive what would happen, even if Batman was here.

An idea hit Robin so suddenly it had him stilling out of shock as the Joker was looming over him once again. It would most likely only work as more of a distraction, but something was better than nothing.

Finally with a plan that involved more than just struggling, Robin smuggly grinned up at the Joker.

"I don't know, it seems you couldn't finish me then, so what makes you think that you can kill me now, when we're out in the middle of a street? Besides, you couldn't even kill Batman. And he's only been at it for about three years here. That's embarrassing."

Robin watched the Joker's face turn stormy, and like lighting one of his hands was on his throat. The teen croaked at the pressure, but still managed to keep his grin.

"The only reason Batsy is alive is because I want to savour the moment. I want to feel the life drain away, rip off that cowl and look into his eyes as his soul leaves his body. I could think of nothing more pleasing, little bird." The Joker's grin turned lazy. "And do you know what the best part of that experience is going to be?" he got close, his rotten breath fanning over Robins face. "You'll be on the ground, bleeding deliciously, watching it all. Nothing you do will matter as your precious Daddy Bats dies in front of you."

The words slithered into Robin's ear, insitlling a deep rooted horror into his heart. After every encounter, it still suprised Robin to see just how sick and twisted the Joker was. And how accurate he could be on people's worst fears.

Luckily, his plan had worked. Like lightning Robin flung his freed arm down to his belt and brought up a throwing knife. The Jokers eyes could only widen before a knife was stuck in his bicep.

Robin gasped for a breath as the man released his throat with a pained squel. He let go of the teens other wrist and was moving towards ripping the knife out when the teen struck out with the palm of his hand. It landed right on the Jokers nose with a sickening crack.

The Jokers body became lax and Robin struggled anew. There was just enough room for him to bring up his right leg towards the man's chest and push him away.

Robin rolled backwards to his feet as the Joker landed, glaring at the teen. In one sickening pull the knife was ripped out of the man's arm and gripped in his hand. He observed the blood on it with a grin before turning his focus back to the Boy Wonder.

"That was pretty dirty, even for you, Robby. Is stabbing people the new hero protocol? Cause I want in if it is!" the Joker rambled as he got to his own feet, both of the opponents falling into a defense position.

Robin scowled, and brought out another throwing knife from his belt. "There is no playing dirty with you, Joker. Anything is game."

The Joker let out a delighted giggle. "Finally, you're learning! It's taken you even longer than it took Batsy to figure out. You deserve a prize!" with that he was sudden launching forward, bloody knife poised for attack.

Robin gasped and fell back, barely avoiding the sharp edges. The Joker swiped again and the teen dove to the side, rolling before springing back towards the man with a small battle cry.

A gash appeared in the Joker's suit as Robin's slash rang true, small trickles of blood bleeding into the purple fabric of his side. The Joker simply laughed through the pain and made contact of his own on Robin's forearm. The teen hissed, assessing the damage quickly before jumping back into the fray.

Before he could get closer enough, however, the Joker was tackled to the ground, his laughter abruptly cut off. Robin was floored, watching the scene in complete shock.

Somehow, Batman had gathered enough energy while they were fighting to make an attempt at helping him. Now the two were on the ground, struggling with the Joker much the same way Robin was earlier.

Only Batman was much bigger than the Joker. And, even in his weakened state, much stronger.

It didn't take long until Batman had the Joker pinned. The Joker simply laughed through it all, the manic grin never being wiped off of his face. Batman growled, leaning down until he was right in the mad man's face.

"I will ask you one more time; Why. Are. You. Here." the intimidation did little to the Joker, who only looked up at the Bat thoughtfully.

"Gonna have to be more specific than that, Batsy. Why am I here, on the ground? You can answer that, detective. Why am I in Gotham? Well, the weather seemed nice this time of year. Why am I-" Batman interrupted his rambling by headbutting him, the Jokers head painfully bouncing off the pavement.

"No. More. Games." Batman sneered. The Joker spit out some blood, and let out a dissapointed sigh.

"Still no fun, even here. Why, I would say that little tweety over there knows how to have a better time than you do." Joker craned his head back, meeting Robin's still shocked gaze. Batman followed it, narrowing his eyes at the teen. "At least we know each others fun spots! You-" he turned back to Batman, "on the other hand, have no idea what makes me tick. Sad, really. Weird used to know each other so well, too. "

Batman's gaze lingered on Robin. His glare was enough to shake the teen out of his daze, and he cautiously approached the two men on the ground.

"You know him?" Batman asked gruffly, and Robin could only blink dumbly.

This encounter was bound to happen. Robin knew it, and he had even prepared for it. Heck, he even dreamed about it while spending those weeks inside Slade's Haunt.

Actually meeting this world's Batman was surreal. Robin expected to the familiar gaze of his Batman, filled with compassion, love and hope. It was irrational, and he knew that, but when looking at the doppelgänger of a person he's known for almost half his life, logic was a hard thing to grasp.

It was only when Batman's eyes narrowed that Robin realized he still had yet to answer his question. Only the situation kept his ears from turning pink.

"Uh, yeah. I know him. It's...complicated." Robin stammered, fiddling with he knife still in his grasp. He saw Batman eye it wearily before turning his sights back on the Joker. The other man's sights were elsewhere, however.

"Aw~" he cooed, glancing back up at Robin again. "You make our relationship sound like such a secret, little bird. I'm flattered."

The teen scowled. He opened his mouth to retaliate when Batman spoke for him.

"Shut it, psychopath. Before I make you." Batman threatened. "The League will be here at any moment, and you will answer for your crimes."

At the mention of the League, Robin started. There was no way he could let Clark talk to him again. It would mean answering questions he really did not want to explain.

Robin managed two steps back before Batman's head snapped towards him. "You're not off the hook, kid. I suggest you stay right where you are."

"Does the little Robin not want to see the super family? What is happening in this crazy dimension?!" the Joker cackled. The comment, however, seemed to be the last straw for Batman.

In a flash Batman cocked his fist and smashed it into the Joker's face, knocking him out cold.

Robin saw the opportunity and quickly took it. Batman was injured, and with the Joker now not a threat, there was no reason to stay. He spun on his heel and sprinted for the nearest alley, ignoring the shouts Batman made for him.

All he had to do was keep running, and eventually he could escape. He was only mere feet from disappearing into the darkness, away from Batman (but not) and all the craziness that was his life.

Unfortunately, karma was not his friend.

He was on the verge of the alley when Robin skidded to a stop as a wall of transparent green brick blocked his vision.

"Sorry, kid. Can't let you get away that easily."

Robin whipped around, hand digging in his belt for more flashbangs but coming up empty. Silently he cursed Slade, the infamous mercenary, for only have three measly flashbangs.

There, floating only feet away was Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern. And, helping Batman to his feet while also properly restraining the unconcious Joker was Clark Kent, Superman.

Needless to say, Robin was most definitely not feeling the aster.

 **Whoa. Okay, this is the part that going to be a bit tricky from now on.**

 **But, I hope you like the chapter! I had a lot of fun writing it, actually. Sorry for any grammar mistakes, though. No one I know can read over my drafts since they don't know I write fanfic and even the best apps can't detect all errors.**

 **I'm REALLY excited for the next chapter!**

 **Sorry for not updating very much, that's completely my fault and I'm sorry, but I can't say that it will improve much. I suck as an author for updates, I am aware, but I'm trying my best.**

 **~Atatami**


	15. Chapter 14

The lights were a bit bright for his tastes, but Robin supposed the blinding lights were part of an interrogation rooms charm. He couldn't say that he had been the one in handcuffs very often, either, but the League was just being cautious.

Robin didn't see any point in trying to further get away from Superman, Batman, and Green Lantern. Aeithegetting involved with the Joker almost killing Batman, the teen was most likely even higher on their priority list than before. Robin was all the League had when it came to getting information on the Joker, and when someone had come as close to beating Batman as the clown did, they wanted to know as much as they could.

So, after dragging the Joker over and securing him further, Robin was taken with them. All except Superman had been on high alert when the Green Lantern had encased the teen in his power. From there, Robin got treated to a flight in a green bubble, all vision and hearing blocked in order to keep secrecy. Which was quite pointless, as when Robin was set down and the bubble disolved, he knew immediately that they had taken him to Mount Justice.

The rest of the League greeted them in the large cavern, and Robin had been quickly ushered into an interrogation room per Batmans orders. Figured that Batman would be the only one not to hesitate to shove a child into an empty, concrete room with only a two-way mirror, handcuffs, and a metal table for company.

Yet, so far, no one had come in asking any questions. While a bit of a relief, the development also led to a very bored teenager. Robin sighed and rested his head in his palms. Really, he could have had it worse. At least the League seemed content enough to let him keep his mask, as there was no doubt Clark had already debriefed the rest of the heroes on everything he knew.

Just when Robin was contemplated picking the handcuffs on his wrists out of pure boredom, the door finally swung open. Robin straightened, expecting to see Batman, but relaxed when Superman drifted through the door.

The man looked uncomfortable, landing and gingerly sitting down on the chair opposite of him. Clark swallowed, clasping his hands together on the table.

Robin couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and smirk at the discomfort. There was a very real possibility that this was the first time Clark had ever interrogated someone who wasn't a known criminal. Robin's lips twitched even further up.

He was due for a little fun, wasn't he?

"'Sup" Robin's voice seemed to snap Clark out of his daze, and his eye refocused on the now confident teen.

"Hello." Superman cleared his throat before continuing. "Can you tell me your name, please?"

Robin pretended to think, even going so far as to lower his head so he could tap a finger on his chin. "Nah, don't think I can."

"Why can't you?"

"I'm sorry, sir, it's a matter of national security."

"Excuse me?"

"Don't you have super hearing? I think it might be malfunctioning." Robin yawned, leaning back as far as possible with his hands hand cuffed to the table.

Clark blinked at him, at a loss for words. Robin snorted and shook his head. He hadn't had this much fun in an interrogation in a long time.

Mostly because when it usually happened the other party wanted to learn League secrets and then kill him, but that wasn't important at the moment.

"Uh, I-my hearing is fine, actually." Clark finally muttered. Robin relished in the absolute confusion that radiated from him.

"Oh, cool. Wouldn't be fun to lose that. Or anything else, actually."

"Look, kid." Superman suddenly turned serious, leaning forward on the table. "We know that you and the Joker are connected somehow, but no one knows the specifics. He thinks you're Batman's son, right?"

"Funny, I only remember telling one person that little tidbit of info." Robin had to hold back a laugh as Superman's entire body tensed for a moment before relaxing once again.

"Yes, we managed to track down Clark Kent to see what he knew, as records showed that he visited you after being admitted to Gotham General."

"Hm."

Superman sighed as Robin offered up nothing else, and continued to plow through. "Is there anything else you can tell us about the Joker? Abilities, other motives, allies? Anything would help."

"I've already told Clark everything I know about his motives, and the only abilities he has is his ability to efficiently kill lots of people."

Superman looked a bit happier at that information, thinking Robin was finally ready to talk like civil people. The teen looked forward to dashing his hopes.

"Okay, that's good. Now, is there anything else we need to know about him?"

"Yeah; Wherever he is now, which I'm assuming is Arkham Asylum, is going to need a lot of bleach to clean up the blood when he escapes in a week."

"No one's ever escaped Arkham in that short of time."

"You've never met the Joker, though, have ya'?"

"You have, which is why your co-operation is essential to-" Clark was cut off as the door swung open, and the black shadow that was Batman slid into the room.

He had clearly changed suits, but was still carrying tension from the multitude of injurys. Robin quickly straighten his posture and slid a blank mask over his face.

Messing with Clark had been fun, but there was no way he'd be able to achieve that with Batman.

"Batman, I have it-" Superman started, going to stand, but was cut off by a withering Batglare.

"No, you don't, and I don't have time to watch you blunder through another minute. I'm taking over." Batman's eyes narrowed even more. "Out."

Superman simply sighed, not deeming the ensuing argument worth having. He cast a pitied look towards the teen, but was met with a blank face instead of the carefree, happy smirk he had just a few seconds prior. The man furrowed his eyebrows, but left regardless of his confusion.

When the door closed, Batman didn't sit down. He stayed where he was, lurking over the now silent, stone faced teen.

The man's stare was unwavering. "Who trained you." Robin remained silent. Batman's mask furrowed, his right arm reaching behind his cape to produce the utility belt that Slade had given him. "I know this belt. Did Deathstroke train you? Force you to be his apprentice?"

Robin still said nothing. He could see the twitch in Batman's chin that the teen knew meant he was getting irritated. Robin almost smirked, but then realized that whenever Batman got irritated during an interrogation, he also got violent.

"No, he didn't." Batman lowered his arm at those words, the whites of his cowl never breaking contact with Robins own.

"Then where did you get it."

"If you must know, it was a gift. And without it, you would be lying dead in that street." Robin ignored Batman's glare. "You're welcome."

"I didn't need assistance. You merely provided a distraction. Yet, if Deathstroke didn't train you, the question remains on who did."

"Who says I'm trained in anything?"

"Don't play dumb." Batman snarled. "I doubt Deathstroke would merely give away one of his belts to a random teenager. So, who exactly are you, and what is your connection to the Joker." Robin opened his mouth, but before he could say anything Batman growled "Aside from the obvious."

Now came the tricky part. What exactly could he say? Should he say anything at all? What would be believable enough?

Batman's glare continued as Robin mulled over his thoughts, trying and failing to come up with something that Batman would take as some form of truth. After more silence, Robin saw the slight clench of Batman's fists, and rushed to at least say something so the man wouldn't attack him.

Robin didn't need any more trauma, thank you. He already had quite enough.

"My name's Robin, and you're right; I am trained." the teen paused, trying to make his voice steady. After viewing Batman's form relax, he continued on what he hoped was a convincing explanation. "I can't tell you the name of who trained me, but it wasn't Slade."

"Why can't you tell me."

"'Cause I have rights to privacy." Batman's eyes narrowed on Robin unintentional sassy slip, so the teen quickly continued. "I would be betraying trust that I would rather keep, okay?"

There was a moment of silence before the man nodded. "Continue. What's your connection to the Joker."

Robin swallowed, hoping his answer had just enough truth in it to convince Batman and whoever else may be watching behind the mirror.

"I've known about him since I began my training. My mentor tried to keep me away from him because...well, he can be a bit much for anyone that tried to defy him. Nevertheless, I have still been forced to fight with him in the past, against my mentors wishes. He's completely unpredictable; the only strategy to use against him is the element of surprise. And even that doesn't work all the time."

"Why is the Joker insisting that you're my...son." Batman ground out. Robin took a deep breath, and just let the words flow.

"I'm not sure, alright? Maybe it's our similar fighting style, or maybe he knows who you are under the mask and we look alike; I don't know. But he's been going on about that idea for a while, and he won't stop until both of us are dead. Preferably in the same place, where he can watch, and slowly."

The man huffed, the forehead of the cowl scrutching and eyes averting to the floor. There was complete silence as Batman contemplated what Robin had said, and Robin studied his sorta-but-not-really mentor. All Robin could hope for was that his explanations were enough, that his skills in deciet managed to fool Batman (at least for the foreseeable future), and he did not decide to investigate the 'mentor' Robin had mentioned. That would be yet another awkward conversation.

"Do you have a safe place that we could escort you to." Batman suddenly announced, and Robin was torn between both relief and elation that he had pulled the wool over Batmans eyes. He had actually bested his mentor, in a dimension where the man had no idea who he was.

Robin tried not to let the pride go to his head.

Then Robin realized he had yet to answer, and that Batman was still staring at him. "Uh, does Deathstrokes haunt count?" Batman frowned even more. "I'll take that as a no."

"Is that the only place you know that would be...'safe.'"

"I mean, I held myself on the streets pretty well, but I doubt Supes' would allow me to just be thrown out." Robin smirked at the small scowl thrown his way. Now that the actual interrogation part was over, there was no harm in getting on the mans nerves a little bit, right?

"If that is true, that you have nowhere else secure, then you will stay here under the protection of the Justice League until this matter is completely resolved. Any objections?"

Robin tapped his chin in mock thought before throwing the most innocent expression possible onto his face. "As long as the Super Hero Club plays nice, and I get to keep my mask, I have no objections to having a bit of a vacation."

Batman already looked like he was regretting the decision, but before he could get in another word the door burst open to reveal the grinning face of Barry Allen, AKA The Flash.

"Don't worry, Bats, I'll take care of getting the kid settled in one of the empty rooms." the speedster rushed out, making a move towards Robin before freezing when Batman growled at him.

"Robin wil not be getting a furnished room. He will be staying in a holding cell, and that is not going to up for debate." The Flash frowned, placing a hand on his hip. Robin smirked, leaning back in his chair and preparing to watch the fight about rooms that would undoubtedly occur.

"C'mon, he's just a kid, not a criminal-"

"Children can be criminals-"

"He hasn't shown any sign of hostility towards anyone-"

"He refused to answer questions when Superman was interrogating-"

"That kid also probabl saved your life earlier-"

"Debatable, and Robin has also admitted to being trained-"

Frankly, the argueing was getting ridiculous. Robin saw both Superman and Diana, AKA Wonder Woman, hovering behind the Flash, looking like they also agreed with the speedster. Robin yawned as the two heroes continued to bicker, getting steadily louder as they defended their respective points. It looked like it was going to take a while.

Well, that was until Batman growled an "Enough!" that hushed the other hero. Taking a deep breath, Batman glanced at Robin, which the teen greeted with a tiny waved of his own, before turning back to Flash.

"Fine, he will be allowed a room. But that room will be completely secure, with no windows or large vents, as well as extra security locks on the door and surveillance inside the room." He turned back to Robin, deeply scowling at the teens crossed hands and innocent smile. "And you will never leave that room unless accompanied by a member of the League. Is that clear?"

Robin couldn't help himself. "Crystal clear, padre."

Batman looked one second away from strangling him when Flash was suddenly at Robins side, a hand resting almost protectively on his right shoulder.

"No problemo, Batman. This kid will never be out of our sight!"

Robin tried not to snort as Batman gave Flash a very unimpressed look before promptly turning and marching out of the interrogation room. He heard the speedster beside him let out a breath,and could practically feel the relief oozing from the mans body.

"So," Robin started as Clark entered the room with a set of keys, "when will I get to see the new digs?"

 **Okay, wow, I have absolutely no excuse for getting this up later than I really wanted to other than I have discovered that there is A LOT of Spideypool content on Ao3. Both the fluffy, adorable, superfamily kind and..uh...*cough*...not so PG kind.**

 **So yeah, I'm a bit of a slut for any and all kinds of Spideypool content. Sue me. (But don't, cause I have literally maybe 200$ to my name)**

 **Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Things get a bit fun from here on out before we get back to the more depressing stuff.**

 **~Atatami**


	16. Chapter 15

**If you wish to skip this rant/trip about me talking about my feelings on Steven Universe and all Rebecca Sugar has done, feel free to skip to where the bolted text ends. That's where the story begins.**

 **Now, Steven Universe. Created by Rebecca Sugar. It's coming to a close soon, and I'm not sure where to express everything I'm feeling other than here, as it's the only platform no one in reality knows I use.**

 **If you have never watched it, I highly recommend it. Every single episode. Every single season. Some of this might not make much sense if you don't.**

 **This show...has helped me grow into who I am with PRIDE. I got into it when it was in it's second season and...I grew up with it in some of the most difficult to navigate parts of my life.**

 **I started high school. Friends I thought liked me left me. I found my calling in writing, theatre, and the arts in general. All of this was really hard to accept, as well as for my family, as they are sports fanatics, and don't really know what it is to be in theatre; to be different and entertain people.**

 **And let me tell you, a show where everything is about how to change and embrace yourself, to LOVE yourself, in songs and theatrics really lifted my spirits during this time. It made me feel like I wasn't actually alone. These characters on screen are powering through, talking things out, fighting for what they believe, taking the alternative route to a solution, just fully learning to love themselves and others.**

 **And that brings me to my other reason why this show helped me so much. I think I always knew that something didn't click with me, but I only started to recognize it in middle school, and only figured it out when I quit sports and focused on theatre.**

 **A person I knew in theatre referred to themselves as Demi. I wasn't sure what that meant, so I looked it up. And Lo and behold, there is an entire Ace/Aro community that I didn't even know existed. I WAS SO HAPPY. I finally had an answer for why my friends were going on and on about relationships and their...pleasures...and I just couldn't connect why they thought all of these things were so amazing.**

 **And as I dove deeper into this community where I actually felt like a regular person, I discovered something else, too. Something that was a bit more terrifying. Something that I couldn't just brush off to my homophobic father.**

 **I liked girls a LOT better than boys. They always caught my eyes more, and I realized that the weird feelings I had for one of my friends was something more.**

 **But I was horrified of that revelation. We live in a small town, basically all white privilege, and the only people who were publically out were shunned at school/in the community if they weren't attractive or extroverted.**

 **My confidence in myself was at an all time low. And this was at the very beginning of high school. I completely closed in on myself.**

 **And then more Steven Universe came out, and as I watched and saw the love and acceptance, the changes, the conflicts, it all helped me build up my confidence as a proud member of the LGBTQIA community.**

 **Especially the wedding. It brought actual tears to my eyes, gave me hope that maybe one day I could have that too. That I could love someone that much, and that it's possible for someone else to love me like that.**

 **All of the messages in Steven Universe are phenomenal, and I can't thank Rebecca Sugar enough for making this show.**

 **And, now that it's ending, I can only feel a sense of nostalgia. I feel as though I've grown up, and changed, along with Steven and the others on their journey. Hell, Steven and I are the same age now. It's crazy to think how much this show impacted my life.**

 **Even Gravity Falls didn't have quite this big of an impact on me.**

 **I'm so sad to see it end with Steven Universe Future, but I know that everything must end, and even though it is, what it taught me about loving myself and others when no one else could will stick with me for the rest of my days.**

 **So thank you, Rebecca Sugar and the rest of the crewniverse, for making an incredible show for me and all of the others who are struggling with similar problems.**

 **Sincerely, a proud Ace Panromantic girl who has finally found a home in her own heart, and with her amazing friends**

As it turned out, the Flash that resided in the dimension Robin was stuck in really wanted kids. But, as he had so thoroughly explained, he couldn't have any because his enhanced genetics from the particle accelerator explosion posed too much of a risk for him to have a biological child.

So for the few days that Robin had been staying at Mount Justice he had been acting as Barry's surrogate son. Much to the annoyance of both Batman and Robin. Batman because he would have rather had the teen locked in a cell in the back of the cave, or at the very least in his 'room' the majority of the time. Robin because he was in the speedsters company twenty. Four. Seven.

And as much as he despised the sparsely furnished, pure concrete room he had been so genourously gifted, Robin would much prefer to spend his time in there than with the speedster.

Now, that's not to say it was because he was a speedster. That was not the problem. Robin's best friend in his own dimension was a speedster.

The real problem was that Barry could not stop talking, and as Robin was his 'practice son', the man felt like it was necessary to impart every single piece of wisdom he had onto Robin.

Like he was doing right now.

"You see, people can have many different reactions to things, and you have to respect all those reactions equally, even if it isn't the outcome you really wanted-"

Robin sat at the island in the middle of the largest part of the mountain, hollowed out to make a common room mixed with a debriefing room, much the same as what was in his dimension.

A bowl of cereal sat in front of him, and he sat there idly twirling the spoon in the soggy chunks as he listened to Barry's rambling for what felt like the seven hundredth time in three days. His eyes were unfocused on the cracks of the mountain wall, mind thinking more on his new predicament.

He was now in the custody of the Justice League. That served to be a pro and a con in his effort to get home and stop the Joker before he could make too much havoc in this dimension.

The pros were that he was almost undeniably safe. No one seemed to want to mess with the newly formed League in this dimension, even the biggest bads. Robin was also with people he felt relatively comfortable being around, which made interaction both easier and slightly painful. This was also a great way to build up trust with people who might believe him if he told the truth about his home down the line, and possibly help him.

The cons were that he had so many restrictions. He could barely go to the bathroom without being monitored, and he overheard Batman talking about a prototype for some kind of new tracking mechanism. Being with the League could also bring them more harm if the Joker thought that the older heroes had taken him in.

Overall, however, Robin was in a prime position for figuring out how to get home.

"-and then all you have to do is tie the knot-"

If only Flash would stop talking and actually let Robin form any complex thoughts.

"Hey, Flash?" Robin finally said, not moving his gaze from the far wall as he felt Barry turn more towards him on his own bench.

"What's up, sport?" Robin winced at the nickname, one that had been suggested by Green Lantern and had somehow, regrettably, stuck.

"Why are you always with me, anyway? I mean, I know I'm practice for when you have a kid some day, but don't you have some actual super hero stuff to do?" Anything that would get Robin a few minutes of peace.

Flash scoffed. "Uh, yeah, I have some paperwork thing Batman makes us do, but I can get those done-"

"-if you say 'in a flash', I can promise there will be pain in your future." Barry burst out in a cackle while Robin simply glared. "God, I swear Wally isn't this annoying." Robin muttered under his breath, glaring back down at the bowl.

Flash immediately stopped laughing, eyebrows raising, expression shifting into confusion. "Who's Wally?"

Robin tensed, but quickly brushed off Barry's inquisitive look. "Doesn't matter, not your problem."

The Flash waggled a finger in Robins face, his face scrunching up as he glared at the man once again.

"Nuh uh, no you don't. Can't evade it that easily. This is the first new name you've said since you got here, now I've gotta know who it is. Is he your friend? Enemy? Boyfriend?"

Robin felt his face get hot at the last mention, and against his better judgement he stuttered out a "he's not my boyfriend!". The Flash gave him a disbelieving look, one eyebrow raised behind the red latex cowl, and Robin had never wanted to punch Barry more.

"Wally's, like, the best friend I have! _Not_ my boyfriend! Even though he can be as annoying as you with his puns and running around, he's been there for me for almost as long as I've been in the field."

Barry's face turned somber, and he placed his red clad hand on Robins shoulder. "He sounds important to you. Where is he now?"

Robin shrugged. "I don't know. And...I don't know if I'll ever see him again either."

"And why's that?" Barry's tone was so soft, parental. In a way it reminded Robin of his own father, comforting him after a trapeze trick gone wrong.

Not that Robin didn't appreciate Bruce trying to help when emotions were present, but the man wasn't exactly comfortable with expressing feelings.

Robin shook his head. This wasn't supposed to be a therapy session. He needed to find a way back home, so he could see his Wally and his Bruce again.

"Look," Robin hardened his voice as much as he could, glaring at Barry's suprised face when he shrugged off his hand. "I'm not here to be psychoanalyzed. I'm here because you feel the need to protect me, and I want to get home. That's it. End of story."

Flash gave him a pitying look, and Robin was about to punch it off his face when Superman floated into the common room with Wonder Woman by his side. Their conversation side tracked immediately, and all of their focus was on Robin.

"Uh, you look a little tense there, Robin." Clark hesitated, before floating forward and giving Flash an indecipherable look. "I thought you and Flash got along?"

Barry snapped out of his haze and brightened up quicker than light bulb.

"Oh, we do. Kid's just going through a bit of a rough spot with a mysterious person named Wally. Says that he'll probably never see-OH MY GOD!"

Robin cackled as Flash tumbled to the floor. It wasn't that often that you caught a speedster not paying attention, so when you do, you'll always take advantage. And in this case, it was pushing over Flash's stool with his foot.

Through his laughing he saw Barry and Diana giving him a disapproving look, but Superman simply looked amused.

A blow of wind and Flash was off the floor, zipping around the counter and yanking the bowl of soggy cereal away from Robin.

"Naughty children don't get to eat the good cereal." Flags reprimanded before dumping the bowl done the sink and sticking his tongue out at the still cackling teen.

"Was there a reason you pushed him off the chair?" Diana questioned, exasperated with the teen already. Robin grinned in her direction. She had no idea just what he was capable of.

"Other than the satisfaction? Nope. None at all." Flash huffed, and ran off down the corridor with a huffed 'rude'.

"Well, he did mention a...Wally, was it? Who's he?" Superman questioned, propping up Flash's stool and taking a seat. The man looked hilariously large in the small stool, and Robin could barely hold back a snicker.

"As I told Flash, no one important. Not important to you or the whole Joker situation, that is." Superman gave Wonder Woman worried look, and Robin's playful mood sombered. "You didn't heed my advice and he escaped, didn't he?" Robin sighed.

Both of the supers looked a bit shaken, but they nodded. "Earlier this morning. And...we really should have listened about the bloodshed part." Superman admitted, actually looking a bit cowed. Diana merely looked regretful, but there was more confidence in her stance.

Quite honestly, Robin felt a pang of pity for them, and the entire League. There was more of a chance that they would listen to him now, though. Robin just wished it didn't come at the cost of innocent lives.

"I don't blame you." Robin admitted. "I'm just a random kid you met that you know has a connection to a dangerous threat. I wouldn't have fully trusted me either."

"No." the deep growl of Batman's voice behind him made Robin tense, but he tried his best to not let it show.

Robin turned his head just enough to see Batman approach them from the opposite tunnel in the wall. His expression was like a stone slate, as always, but his posture was slightly slouched. Robin knew he was likely the only one that noticed it.

"This was my fault." Robin's mouth almost dropped from shock. Batman admitting he was wrong? Just like that? Unheard of. "You may be a stranger, but you admitted that you fought the Joker before. I should have taken your warning seriously. This bloodshed is my fault, and my fault alone."

There was a static silence as they all processed what Batman had said. Robin couldn't believe that this Batman would so readily admit the blame, especially for a stranger.

Diana cleared her throat. "It is no matter who's fault it is. What matters is that this man is now on the streets." She cast a quick glance towards Robin, who was still reeling from the confession. "He will be looking for Robin, as well as Batman, I presume."

"The mountain has the best security in the world. Robin will be safe here." Batman stated. Now that he was closer, Robin could clearly see how exhausted he seemed to be. There was a faint sign of stubble on the man's exposed face, and his cape curled in even more on his slouched frame.

Batman raised an eyebrow in his direction. Robin felt the faintest of blushed come across his cheeks as he realized he had been staring.

Robin cleared his throat. "Yeah, he is dead set on killing Batman and I together."

"Well, I guess we just have to find him then." Superman sighed, looking towards Batman who straightened imperceptibly under the Man of Steels gaze. "I don't think he'll risk leaving Gotham. We should set up some security and patrols-"

"No." Batman said, tensing even more when Superman glared at him.

"Batman, this man is obviously dangerous, and he's already shown that he can handle you no problem-"

"I was taken by surprise-"

"-so if he's in your city, then you'll need protection. Or, if you don't want us to go there, then you need to stay here with Robin, where you'll actually be safe."

"Not an option. Gotham needs me." Batman stated, ending the conversation by brushing past Superman and Wonder Woman to continue stalking down the corridors.

Clark grunted and floated after him, trying in vain to start the conversation again. Robin watched them leave in intrigue.

If he read the situation right, this Batman seemed almost...intimidated by the Man of Steel. Or at the very least held the Kyrptonian in a higher position of respect than himself. Which was incredibly unusual. The Batman that raised him was not intimidated by much, and certainly not Superman. And even when he was, it never showed as obviously as it did with this Batman.

Diana sighed, breaking Robin out of his thoughts. She shook her head in the direction of the hallway where the heroes disappeared.

"Men. Always at each others throats." she smiled playfully in Robin's direction. "You will not be so thick-headed when you grow into adulthood, will you?"

Robin reflected her playful expression. "Apparently I'm related to Batman, so no promises."

Diana giggled, running her hand through Robin's hair for a moment before walking towards the entrance Batman took. He watched her go, confused.

And then he remembered that Wonder Woman and Captain Marvel were the ones who rescued him from the jaws of death by Joker the first time. She saw him at his worst, and with her heart she most likely saw him beaten bloody and broken everytime she laid her eyes on him.

Robin felt a bit guilty, but there was nothing he could do change it. He looked around the now silent room, letting out a large sigh.

Wait. The room was silent.

He was alone. 


End file.
